


Save Yourself

by celerydragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dubious Politics, M/M, Magic-Users, Romance, War, cathybrid!jongin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-20 12:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 68,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celerydragon/pseuds/celerydragon
Summary: War is raging, and Kyungsoo is stuck in a race against time as he works on a spell that could save them all. But he can’t do it alone.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaigazing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaigazing/gifts).



Meticulous, precise and persistent. These are all words that could be used to describe Kyungsoo. Having worked for the Governmental Experimental Abjuration Department almost five years now, he’s well known as one of the most dedicated staff available to the magical research department. Maybe that’s why the higher ups have given him such a difficult task to complete, by himself no less. He’s been scratching away at this spell, rewriting the symbols in slightly different positions on the huge circle for weeks now. Nothing is working yet.

“God _ damn _ it!” Kyungsoo hisses, after yet another failed attempt. He clutches at his hair, resisting the strong impulse to slam his fists down on the table and ruin more of his hard work. He stalks over to the window and presses his forehead against the cool glass, hoping that it might help calm him down a little. It doesn’t. He bangs his head against it several times. The city below seems so small from up here, so oblivious of the struggles he goes through to keep them safe.

Nope. That isn’t helping either. He needs to get out of here. What time is it? He checks his phone; basically lunch time. If he leaves now, he can probably get away with skipping the last ten minutes beforehand. He’ll just have to make up for it later.

Pointedly  _ not  _ looking at his workbook, each page overflowing with dense scribbles, or the two hundred year old tome he’s meant to be reworking the spell from, he grabs his wallet from his coat pocket and stalks down the corridor to the lift. He passes a colleague's office on the way, but doesn’t look inside; he’s really not in the mood to see Jongdae being successful at whatever he’s doing right now.

By the time he reaches the cafeteria, an open room with white tiles, he’s feeling a little better. There’s no one here, so he doesn’t have to wait in a queue; but not everything is out of the kitchen yet, so he settles for a box of salad and a doughnut. The salad isn’t great, but the doughnut is and his mood is considerably improves as he bites into it. Sitting by himself in the slightly noisy hall is refreshing to his senses. His office is basically silent and while that works wonders for his concentration, he needs something different right now.

A shadow passes his peripheral vision and the sound of a chair screeching next to him, has him preparing to send a death glare towards whoever thinks it’s a good idea to sit next to him. It’s only Jongdae, a colleague belonging to the most populated Experimental Spells Department, where manpower is most in demand. 

“You’re here early.” Jongdae comments, setting down his plate of curry in front of him. “Struggling with that spell still?” He asks, food already in his mouth. 

Kyungsoo shrugs, the remnants of his bad mood already curdling in his brain at the mere  _ thought  _ of that stupid thing. 

He sighs. It’s important, he  _ knows _ that. For the war efforts, it’s vital that they find a way to protect themselves against the enemy’s improved firepower; and fast. He just doesn’t understand why he’s the only person working on such an important task, when there are other abjuration specialists available. They might not all be government employees, sure, but can’t they see that he needs help? He doesn’t understand how this system works.

“I don’t know, Jongdae. Maybe I should try writing a new spell entirely, instead of trying to rework one that’s over two hundred years old. It would probably be quicker, at this rate.”

“Don’t be silly.” Jongdae nudges him with his elbow. “You just need a familiar.” Kyungsoo makes a sound of distress. This isn’t the first time that Jongdae, or any of his co-workers, have suggested that he get an assistant. A  _ familiar _ , as they are called in magic-using circles. 

“I do not.”

“I’m serious!” Jongdae insists, “a familiar would be able to help you with both pattern analysis  _ and _ energy consumption issues- you’d be able to burn through so many more possibilities in a day than you do right now.” Kyungsoo is listening, but not taking anything in. He doesn’t want a familiar. He really doesn’t need one; he’ll be able to make this stupid spell work by himself. Plus, he doesn’t know if he can afford to pay one on his current salary.

“Thanks for your concern, but I think I’ll manage on my own. How’s your work going?” He smiles stiffly. Jongdae eyes him suspiciously, but gives in.

“Fine. But just so you know, you can get subsidies if you apply for them.” He says, through a mouthful of curry, as if reading his mind. “Work’s not going too badly at the moment. Chanyeol is making a lot of headway with his incendiary invocation spells.” Kyungsoo nods, that makes sense. Chanyeol is a new intern, but he’s one of the most promising staff they’ve had in a long time. He’s a literal ray of sunshine, that boy; full of boundless energy. It’s depressing that his happy energy is being put to use in a militaristic environment, where it’s going to be used to kill people, though.

“That’s good. What about your project? Something about paralysis, right?”

“Yeah, temporary electro-paralysis. It’s getting there.” Jongdae shrugs dismissively. “It could be better… but it’s getting there.”

“What’s the hold up?” Kyungsoo asks, trying to distract himself from his own failures. 

“Well, all the current spells involving paralysis, none of which are electricity based, are permanent. We just want something that will stop people from moving for a short period of time, like a widespread taser. Lightning-based spells are destruction magic, so we’re trying to find a way to merge the two together, without leaving lasting damage.”

“Sounds like you’re in a bit of a bind then.” Kyungsoo frowns. The problem with magic is that it’s so  _ specific _ . It’s like learning an entirely new language. Every single aspect of the spell must be accounted for, each tiny symbol in the circle representing a different part of the spell; energy source, flow, speed, range. All those and even more complicated things go into the drawing. Some of the more complicated spells require so much space, that they have to be worked on under marquees outside, where they can expand if necessary.

“It’s stressful, I’m not going to lie, but at least I have other people I can lean on. You’re just locked up in your own office all day by yourself. I don’t know how you cope.” Jongdae raises an eyebrow, waving his spoon in the air. Kyungsoo wants to joke that he isn’t coping at all. But if he says that, the other man will just lecture him about finding a familiar again, so he just shrugs. 

“Hey guys!” Baekhyun and Seungwan, both from the Enchantment Department, seat themselves at their table, not seeming to pick up on Jongdae and Kyungsoo’s terrible moods. Or maybe they do, and have decided to try and cheer them up. Kyungsoo has never understood either of them much, to be honest.

He greets them anyway, not wanting to come across as rude. Just because he doesn’t understand them, doesn’t mean he dislikes them. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Both of them are naturally very funny people. Perhaps that’s a prerequisite of working in that part of the building, he muses.

“Heey,” Jongdae greets, nodding his head politely instead of waving his cutlery at them, which Kyungsoo has told him off about before. Good to see that he’s learning.

“What’s with the faces, guys? Something wrong?” Seungwan wonders, eyebrows drawn together in concern. Kyungsoo shakes his head to dispel her worries,

“No, no, nothing major. Just… having trouble with this spell I’m reworking.” 

“Ohhh.” Seungwan nods, completely understanding. “You’re working by yourself, right? Maybe you should get a familiar or something?” She suggests, oblivious to his chagrin. Kyungsoo winces, feeling the metaphorical exclamation marks radiating from Jongdae already.

“ _ SEE?!”  _ He cries, “I’ve said it, Seungwan has said it. You should just cave in and get one. They have forms at the front reception for the subsidisation request.”

“Guys, thanks. I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but I think I’ll be fine.” He assures them, gathering up his trash and taking it over to the bin. He isn’t leaving yet; mess is a pet peeve of his and he wants the table to be tidier. His work space is only cluttered when he’s too focused on everything else to clean it up. Lately, the mess is becoming a problem, stressing him out more than he needs to be.

Maybe a familiar would be able to help with that, he wonders, sitting back down at the table. No, he wouldn’t employ an assistant to be a glorified cleaner. That would be cruel. He tunes back in to what Seungwan and Baekhyun are saying, curious as to how their work is going. 

“-so we don’t know how well firearms are going to take to this kind of enchantment. Usually, the types of materials we cast waterproofing enchantments on, are porous and flexible- clothing. We’ve never done anything harder than leather before, so guns are proving to be a challenge.” 

“That sucks. I’m guessing you already tried switching out the adhesion symbols for something stronger?” Jongdae shrugs. Baekhyun nods,

“That was one of the first things we tried, but it isn’t working. We might have to do a more detailed breakdown of the exact components of the gun, then figure out if the lack of plasticity is what’s holding it back. We have a book full of adhesive symbols, so we’re just going to keep going through those as we do that, just in case.”

“A slow process.” Kyungsoo nods, feeling very much in the same boat. He’s not at that stage yet though, his spell isn’t even  _ activating  _ at the moment. Even when he does manage to get that far, the spell probably won’t even work right.

“Yeah, this is one of the most boring parts of working this job. Casting spells is so much fun, but figuring out how to actually get a spell to cast? Grunt work, basically.” Jongdae complains. “But that’s why we get the interns to do it, eh?” He jokes. His department gets a steady stream of applicants. Kyungsoo’s department had just one intern last year in as many years, but they quit because it wasn’t interesting enough. Abjuration is plenty interesting, in Kyungsoo’s opinion. It’s not flashy, but more of a steady, constant flow of power. Protection is just as important as offensive magic, especially at the moment, Now that the president of Hanu, to the north, has declared war.

The group devolves into light chatter after that, leaving the topic of work issues behind and talking instead, about an upcoming football game which Seungwan has tickets for, but no one to go with. Jongdae immediately volunteers to go with her, claiming a double advantage of seeming like he might be on a date, but Seungwan shuts him down quickly. She already has her eyes on someone else, she says.

After the allocated lunch hour is up, they start to disperse back to their own offices. Jongdae leaves first, since he was the first to arrive, besides Kyungsoo, followed not long after by the other two. Kyungsoo tries to postpone his departure, procrastinating until he’s almost the very last person in the room. Grumbling to himself, he supposes that this is probably about as far as he can push it and gets up at last. He takes his time on the walk back to the lift and prays to whatever deity controls elevators, that it has a long journey. He loves his job, usually, but this particular project is honestly killing him.

Sighing loudly, he swipes his keycard over the scanner and the door to his office opens.

He sits down at his desk and surveys this morning’s work. His head is hurting just  _ looking _ at all the work he has to do. It’s like a never ending game of mastermind, but with over two hundred parts, instead of just four. If his computer could just do it all for him, that would be great. But a computer can’t actually cast a spell, so it’s only good for producing a list of untried combinations. His laptop screen shows that he’s nearly a quarter of the way through his possibilities, after a month and a half; not counting overtime.  Kyungsoo’s job is to draw out each one, changing one symbol at a time, until something works.

Groaning, he flips open another page in his workbook and gets back to work.

 

The subway is packed as usual, but it’s only two stops to get home, so Kyungsoo isn’t too bothered. No one nudged into him hard enough to spill the cup of jasmine tea he bought, so all is well. He unlocks his apartment door, hangs up his coat, which he didn’t even need as it was far too warm, and heads to the sofa. 

Immediately, the TV comes on and Kyungsoo flicks through the available channels until he finds something interesting. There’s not much on, except trashy reality shows, but Kyungsoo isn’t that picky. He just wants some background noise as he dozes off and attempts to relax. Sipping tea soothes his soul, as much of an old man it makes him sound. 

The tea he usually buys is from a small, hole in the wall shop manned by an old guy and his granddaughter, hidden just around the corner from his workplace. They know him by name now and always ask if he wants his usual, or if he wants to shake it up a little. Today was a day for normalcy, so he went with his regular cup of jasmine. Through the clear plastic, he can see a few little petals floating in the bottom, which dance when he swills what’s left of the tea. He gulps back the last little bit and sets the cup down on the coffee table. He puts his feet up and lets his head fall back, neck clicking from the movement as he does so. He’s spent so much time hunched over these past few weeks, he has constant backeache.

Whatever it is he’s watching plays on in the background, but his stomach is growling at him, so he can’t drift off just yet. He cooked a big meal the other day, so he has plenty of leftovers ready for nights like this.

The rice cooker dings and Kyungsoo opens it, getting a face-full of steam. He serves rice onto his plate and pours the curry over it; it’s not pretty, but it’ll do.

Satisfied, he heads back to the sofa, his plate resting on his lap. It’s burning his legs, so Kyungsoo looks around for a cushion to put it on instead. When he looks up, the credits of whatever show it was are rolling, some energetic music playing as the names fly up the screen. His curry is pretty decent, for being leftovers. 

He reaches for the remote, but just as he’s about to change the channel, the credits are pushed to the side, into a small window at the top of the screen, upbeat music drowned out by the intro music of the news channel. The words ‘BREAKING NEWS: ATTACK ON NORTH GYEONG MUN SQUARE’ fly along the bottom of the screen, beneath a serious looking woman.

“Reports are coming in of a serious attack on the  North Gyeong Mun Square Business District , today. Seventeen injured and two in critical condition. Police cannot confirm any deaths at this moment in time. Reports tell of a small group of Hanju magic users infiltrating the northern city of Gyeong Mun and casting two widespread destruction spells.” Kyungsoo watches the shaky phone camera footage as the woman’s voice continues to tell him the details of the attack.

It starts off with several bursts of fire, spreading across a whole street, followed by an explosion. The sounds of screaming in the street and the muffled ‘oh  _ god’,  _ from whoever is holding the phone, make Kyungsoo’s stomach turn. This probably could have been prevented, at least partially, if they had the right abjuration spells. Which is  _ his  _ job.

Suddenly guilty, even though he had nothing to do with this attack, Kyungsoo sets his food down, no longer hungry. 

There’s no way he could have been there, he reasons. Gyeong Mun is hours away. There’s nothing he could have done to help.

The old book Kyungsoo is working from has hundred of out-dated spells, but some of them are still able to be updated, like the one he’s working with at the moment. He just has to push himself, and get it done as soon as possible. The sooner the better.

None of the spells in it have been cast in over a century, due to just how much effort it takes to draw the spells out and cast them. Having to rework an old spell so that it will stand against new and improved destruction magic of this age is something else entirely. Guns and cannons didn’t exist back then, even the classic fire type spells are much stronger now.

Feeling an awful swirling mix of defeat and guilt, Kyungsoo decides that tomorrow, he will pick up a form to apply for that government funding. He will get a familiar. 

 

There are a lot more options for familiars than Kyungsoo had predicted. He’d got into work a little earlier than usual to hand in the completed form to the head of the magical department, who had been rather surprised, before going to his office. 

Now, he’s scrolling through the agency website he was recommended; there’s six categories of familiars, relating to qualification, specialisation and ability. Were-people have a category of their own, which is interesting. He wouldn’t have guessed that those with transformative abilities would need to be put in a separate section. 

Each profile that he skims past has a picture of the person’s face, beside a list of their top qualities. Much of it sounds the same, ‘flexible , good communication skills, punctual, high work ethic’ etc. Kyungsoo knows not all of it will be true, that’s just the nature of these kinds of sites. He glances at the time in the top corner of his phone screen and rolls his eyes. He’s already wasted about fifteen minutes looking at these, so he should really get to work. If he’s efficient, he could probably get through maybe eight or so different tests today. 

Still riding the high that comes with the possibility of help in the near future, Kyungsoo rolls up his sleeves and opens up his laptop; waiting for it to boot up. His workbook open to a clean page, it doesn’t take him long to draw the base for the spell; a simple circle with a decagon inside, each corner touching the outer edge. From here on out, it gets far more complicated. Each symbol must be put in its appropriate place on the diagram with the right size in relation to its counterparts. Every line joining the symbols must be drawn in the right way for the magic to flow through it correctly, or the results could be  _ devastating _ . There’s so many type of symbols, in all the categories- adhesion, strength, function, sensitivity- and all their subcategories that take care of the nuances of the world which the spell has to interact with. It can be a real headache getting them to work right. Or  _ at all _ .

That’s why Kyungsoo didn’t have any interest in experimental spellwork as a career; he went with the safety of abjuration, or shield spell research. There’s a life in the barriers and it’s fulfilling, knowing that he can protect people. He’s not in the military, so he’s never actually had to use one for a real emergency before, but Kyungsoo knows that he could, and that’s what counts.

The sooner he gets this spell finished, the better. That way, more people can be kept safe.

His practiced hands are quick to fill out the correct symbols, but it still takes him close to twenty minutes to make sure it’s all perfect. He lets the ink dry for a moment, waving his hand over the page to make it dry faster. Smudging the spell now would just be the worst.

Laying his hands on the now-dry page, he closes his eyes in concentration. Just as he was taught in university, he imagines his energy as a flowing loop around his body and pictures it opening a little, to share a small amount with this spell. He pictures his energy flowing down his arms, through his fingers and into the spell itself. 

He holds his breath, waiting for something to happen but-  _ nothing _ .

Sighing loudly, he sags, letting himself slump back into his seat. So this, as usual, will mark the progress of today. He runs his fingers through his hair.  _ Just got to get through a few more of these before lunch time _ , he tells himself. 

He isn’t going to give up, that’s for sure. He  _ will _ get this spell working.

 

A knock on his office door startles Kyungsoo from what he was doing. Guiltily, he stashes his phone in his pocket before whoever is at his door can come in. He had been scrolling through that website again adding maybe six or so potential familiars to his ‘basket’. All of them seemed overqualified to help him, but it was something.

“Hey, Kyungsoo, we’re gonna grab lunch now. Wanna come with?” Jongdae’s head peers around the door, opening it just enough that Kyungsoo can see Chanyeol’s face. The man is over a head taller than both of them, despite being five years their junior. Chanyeol waves animatedly. 

“Uhm… yeah? I mean- yeah, sure.” Kyungsoo says, distracted. Trying to look like he was actually doing work rather than dossing around. He shuffles some of his papers like he’s tidying them away.

“Kyungsoo, leave it. We know you were slacking, let’s just get food before the good stuff is gone.” Jongdae scolds, impatient.

“Right.” Kyungsoo nods, coughing to cover his embarrassment. He joins the two of them, listening to Chanyeol tell him about whatever is going on with his university coursework. He interns here part time and goes to classes every other day of the week. Kyungsoo nods along, laughing at the uselessness of some of Chanyeol’s fellow students, who all got stuck on the same question on one of their exam papers. 

As they join the queue for hot food, Jongdae turns to Kyungsoo, a curious sparkle in his eye. 

“What were you doing when we came to get you? I’ve never caught you doing anything other than work before. Was it anything….  _ smutty _ ?” He grins impishly, the younger intern catching on and covering his mouth in exaggerated shock. Kyungsoo closes his eyes in irritation.

“I was  _ not _ watching porn.” He sighs.

“What was it then?” Jongdae pushes, patting down his ass to find his wallet. 

“It… it was an agency website. For assistants-”

“You’re getting a familiar?” Jongdae interrupts, grabbing Kyungsoo’s shoulder and shaking him. 

“Why don’t you just get an intern?” Chanyeol asks, amused at how enthusiastic Jongdae is. Jongdae smirks.

“No one wants to work in abjuration, that’s why. There’s only Kyungsoo and Hyojung, who has a separate office. She always meets up with her other friends to eat at a cafe, which is why we never see her. She thinks we’re nerds.”

“We  _ are  _ nerds.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

“Hah, speak for yourself.” Jongdae complains, “I’m plenty cool, thank you.” Kyungsoo snorts, thinking back to the last work outing. He has plenty of evidence against him and Jongdae eyes him suspiciously. “If you bring up that stupid fucking dance, I swear-!”

“Ooh, what dance?” Chanyeol butts in, having started working here  _ after  _ the incident. Jongdae glares as he is served his pasta, but Kyungsoo doesn’t care. 

“Last month at this company social thing, which they do every so often, Jongdae got completely wasted and tried dancing with the boss’ daughter. Only it was the dorkiest dancing I’ve ever seen. Hang on-” he whips out his phone, “-I have a video.”

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol holds out his hands to watch, and has to cover his face to hold back from laughing too loudly. The tinny music plays from the tiny speakers and Kyungsoo does a jerky hand motion that  _ sort of _ resembles what Jongdae was doing. The man in question turns red and walks away as quickly as he can, with food in hand. 

“Thanks, Kyungsoo. Ruining my image!” He whines. The video finishes and a wheezing Chanyeol hands back his phone.

“What image.” Kyungsoo counters, following him to their usual table.

“Alright, alright.” Jongdae says as he sets his plate down, “I get it. We’re not cool, we’re nerds. Anyway, back to you getting a familiar. Any luck finding one that you like the look of yet?”

“I’ve found a few that seem qualified, yeah.” Kyungsoo says, opening up the website again. He’s made an account and everything, so that he can save the profiles of anyone he likes the look of. 

“Let’s have a look then.” Jongdae says, holding out his hand. Reluctantly, Kyungsoo hands it over, peering over as he flicks through his list. He removes one of them, tapping the red cross in the corner.

“Hey!” Kyungsoo squawks, reaching for the gadget back. Jongdae holds it away from him.

“Trust me!” He says, holding it way out of his reach, “you don’t wanna waste your time with the regular people. You need a familiar who actually has a little experience with spellcasting-”

“All of the ones I picked  _ do _ have experience-”

“ _ AND _ you should go for a were-person. They have two forms, which means  _ two _ reserves of energy for spellcasting.” Jongdae emphasises his point by waving two fingers in Kyungsoo’s face. “Trust me, it’s a real thing.” 

“Sounds like bullshit.” Kyungsoo argues, shovelling pasta into his mouth. 

“Nope, it’s real.” Chanyeol chimes in, “I have a were-wolf friend and she’s  _ really _ good at casting big spells. Not  _ drawing  _ them, but it means she can put twice the amount of energy into a spell compared to a normal person.”

“But so can you, right?” Kyungsoo points out, having witnessed Chanyeol’s above average energy levels first-hand. “Are you sure it’s not just a personal thing?”

“I guess? Look it up.” Chanyeol says, nodding at Jongdae who is still scrolling through profiles.

“As if any results are actually gonna be accurate.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Has anyone ever done a study on this?”

“Probably!” Chanyeol nods enthusiastically, “there’s studies on  _ everything _ these days.”

“I guess… Well-”

“Ooh, this one is cute!” Jongdae crows, turning the screen of Kyungsoo's phone around to show them the photo.

“This isn’t a fucking dating app, Jongdae. I need an  _ assistant _ , not a date.” Kyungsoo complains, internally agreeing that the guy in the photo  _ is _ attractive. He has a nice face, with black hair and similarly coloured black ears poking through. A were-cat, perhaps?

“You mean you don’t want to be distracted on the job?” Jongdae teases. Afraid that his cheeks are turning pink, Kyungsoo swipes for his phone and closes the website down. He’ll decide on something this evening, or maybe later this afternoon if he gets frustrated with work. 

“I didn’t even know you were gay.” Chanyeol comments a moment later, setting off a fresh round of embarrassment.

“Is that a problem?” Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, prepared to go on the defensive, but Chanyeol shakes his head, smiling broadly.

“Not at all. I am too! My boyfriend is coming to pick me up after work. Do you want to meet him? I’ve kinda told him all about you guys...” He trails off, sheepish. 

“Cute. Maybe some other day, though?” Jongdae suggests, “unless you want to invite him out with us? Me and Kyungsoo are going to the pub. Wait, are you guys both of age?” Jongdae suddenly frowns.

“Yeah, I’m twenty two- I did a foundation year.” Chanyeol promises, grinning that same toothy grin.

“Uh, when did we decide this?” Kyungsoo asks, thinking back to the last few days. Surely he would have remembered making plans like that.

“This morning, don’t you remember?” Jongdae laughs. Kyungsoo hadn’t seen him at all until he knocked on his door for lunch, so he knows he’s lying out of his ass. Finally catching on, Kyungsoo nods slowly, stomach sinking. This is just a ploy to get Kyungsoo to go out.

“Oh, yeah.” He grits out. “Now I remember.”

“We’re just going to go hang out for a while, you think he’d be game?”

“I’ll ask!” Chanyeol pulls out his own phone and rapidly types away. He’s so innocent, it’s sweet. Just by looking at him, nobody would guess that this kid works on the development of offensive fire magic.

“He says yes!” Chanyeol confirms, waving the message in front of them, too fast for them to actually see.

“Awesome!” Jongdae smirks, “Tell him we look forward to meeting him.”

 

The sky is darkening when they leave work. Kyungsoo probably could have got in at least one more test, but Jongdae all but dragged him out. 

Sehun, Chanyeol’s boyfriend, is waiting for them just outside the lobby. It’s a bit windy, but he apparently didn’t want to go inside as he wasn’t dressed smart enough for a government building. Jongdae and Kyungsoo exchange glances, both of them dressed in reasonably smart shirts and jeans, and shrug. Sehun looks like he shops in high-end fashion shops, so neither of them understand his logic.

As a group, they head towards the centre of the food district on foot, glad that it’s only a ten minutes walk. Chanyeol and Sehun hold hands, generally looking like the cutest couple Kyungsoo has ever seen. He doesn’t appreciate how the couple’s height makes him and Jongdae look like lost children, however.

The younger boy, who isn’t actually of age to drink yet but neither of them heard that part, is very shy. His hands are almost always covering his face, when he’s talking, and he seems to be a nervous smiler. One would think shy Sehun and Chanyeol, the walking embodiment of an exclamation mark, would make an odd couple; but they match up well. 

“Where did you guys plan on going?” Chanyeol asks, turning around and pointing to a place. “How about there? Unless you had somewhere in mind.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere that has a dance floor.” Jongdae says, dragging them past the bar with flashy neon signage. Kyungsoo snorts. 

Instead, Jongdae takes them to a homely looking place; old fashioned and probably as old as Kyungsoo’s grandparents, if not older. It looks pleasant and quiet though, which is nice.  They head inside and pick a smaller table by the window, mainly so Kyungsoo can people-watch if he get’s bored. Some vintage rock music is playing in the background, just enough to create a sociable atmosphere.

Jongdae, Chanyeol and Sehun leave Kyungsoo behind to watch over their table while they get their drinks. Luckily they don’t take too long, since it’s not busy in here at all. Jongdae brings Kyungsoo back a pint of dark fruits beer and Kyungsoo takes it from him gratefully. Jongdae has an ordinary beer and the other two both have, what looks like the cheapest on the menu. It probably tastes like crap, but they’re both students so he won’t make fun. Maybe he’ll even buy them a drink later on.

“So, uhm, what do you guys do?” Sehun asks, taking a sip of his drink.

“I’m in abjuration and Jongdae is an invocation specialist, like Chanyeol.”

“Oh. What do you both think of the war, then?” He murmurs, eyes suddenly bright as he watches the two of them. Kyungsoo blinks owlishly. What a loaded question.

“Sehun!” Chanyeol chastises, slapping his thigh under the table. Sehun sticks his tongue out at him, waiting on their answers.

“Well, no war is a good thing.” Jongdae prevaricates. “Um. I don’t exactly like the idea of the spells I’m working on being used to hurt people but… it’s my job. And magic has always been used for war, so... I don’t know.” He shrugs. Sehun nods, switching his gaze onto Kyungsoo, who flinches.

“I work in abjuration-  _ barrier _ spells. I’m not pro war. Definitely not.”

“Good.” Sehun nods. 

“In my defence, even though I work on incendiary magic, I’m also not pro war.” Chanyeol interjects, worried. “I went into this sector planning on using these spells for performing arts purposes. Sehun is a dancer, you see. And fire spells have plenty of other uses besides offensive! For like, demolitions, wildfire control in the south, helping-”

“Ok, ok, we know all this.” Jongdae holds up a hand. “We didn’t think you wanted to decimate entire populations, you’re too nice for that.” 

“Thank god.” Chanyeol sighs, relaxing back into the seat. “I mean, I think Zhao Ying is an asshole, but I don’t want to kill everyone from Hanju.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jongdae jokes, holding up his glass, “to  _ not _ killing whole countries.” He toasts. Laughing a little awkwardly, Kyungsoo raises his glass too, throwing it back and taking a few gulps. 

“But honestly, what was Zhao Ying thinking? The prosecution of magic users? This isn’t the fifteenth century anymore. We don’t need to burn people at the stake, it’s barbaric.” Sehun scoffs. Kyungsoo bites his lip, so the kid is one of those politically inclined people, huh? He prepares to grit his teeth and not call him out on stuff he probably doesn’t understand, for an entire evening. He takes another sip of his drink and wonders, how long will he have to sit here before making some excuse to leave.

“I don’t know, honestly.” Jongdae agrees, “what gets me the most though, is that his military has a faction for magic users.”

“I know, right! And what is our government doing about all this? Fucking nothing.” Sehun shakes his head, in anger. It’s a lot more complicated than that, but Kyungsoo understands his frustration. People are in danger and there doesn’t seem to be  _ visible _ effort to help.

There  _ is _ . People are working hard to find a way to end this. The international negotiation teams are working day and night, soldiers are preparing for invasion, border control is tighter now. Kyungsoo is trying his best too.  He takes another sip of his fruity beer and resists stirring up an argument.

"That's not true." Jongdae frowns, offended just as Kyungsoo is. "I know people in communications and foreign affairs that are very concerned that this is all going to escalate."

"Concerned? Escalate? They've already declared war, how much more can things escalate?" Sehun scorns.

"Sehun." Chanyeol tries to placate him. "There's a reason Kyungsoo is working so hard to revive one of the old protection spells. We think they might have developed something worse than fire."

"Speaking of which, Kyungsoo, how about we have another look at your familiar list again? Maybe we could find one that suits you." Jongdae cuts in, derailing the political tension. Kyungsoo doesn't really fancy any of these three having a large amount of say in his choice, but if it will stop this topic continuing, then-

"Sure, why not." He pulls out his phone, noting that it's low on battery now. It will last long enough to distract them from the sensitive topic, so it's fine. The very first face on the list of saved profiles, is the one Jongdae had suggested during lunch. Out of a misplaced sense of embarrassment, he deliberately scrolls down a bit so that it’s hidden.

He'd spent a decent portion of his afternoon staring at the details listed on his profile. His name is Kim Jongin, a werecat, a bombay cat to be specific, and just a year younger than him. A lot of the description is the usual spiel about being capable of working well with others and good communication skills, but he has a lot of experience working spells which makes him valuable.

Luckily, Jongdae doesn't seem to notice his sleight of hand, as he sets the phone down in the middle of the table for everyone to see.

"I see you took our advice about only looking for were-people." Jongdae hums approvingly, seeing that almost every single one has transformation abilities. "Ooh, she's pretty." He smirks, tapping on the profile of a capable looking woman with thin-framed spectacles. She doesn’t have protruding ears but her profile says she’s a were-lizard.

"As I said before; this  _ isn't  _ a dating site. I'm not going to hire someone because you think you can get a date with them." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes fondly.

"I know, I know. I'm just saying. Sheesh." He flips the screen around to Chanyeol and Sehun, who lean closer to see.

"She  _ is _ pretty." Sehun nods, pursing his lips. "She could do with a different haircut, though. Something shorter would show off her face better."

"What about me, does my hair suit me?" Jongdae jokes, posing with his hand under his chin. He pretends to flick some imaginary hair over his shoulder as well, as Sehun looks him up and down in exaggerated consideration

"It'll do." He decides.

"I don't think you should pick her, though." Chanyeol says. "Jongdae will be too distracted."

"Hey!" Jongdae pouts, "I'm practically your boss, you should be more respectful. I'm not some  _ panty-chaser _ ."

"It's true, he's only had one serious girlfriend." Kyungsoo nods sagely. "His game is weak."

"Hey!!" Jongdae jokingly slams his hands down on the table. "Why are you ganging up on me?"

"You make it too easy."  Kyungsoo laughs, noticing that half of his drink is already gone. He's going through it very fast.

"I'm no worse than you." Jongdae complains. "It's this job. It leaves no time for a love life." He turns ominously to the couple sitting opposite them, pointing between them. "You two better watch out; the magic sector is a  _ total _ cock block."

"There's nothing for us to worry about." Chanyeol asserts, looking at Sehun with sickening googly eyes. Sehun hides his face and whispers something in Chanyeol's ear, giggling afterwards. They really are young, Kyungsoo notes, a little nostalgic. Smiling ruefully, he turns back to his list of potential candidates and has another flick through.

"How about this one?" He asks Jongdae, the other two caught up in their own world now.

"I don't know, they seem alright. Honestly, all of them do. You could probably go with anyone on this list and it would be fine. You'd probably be better off sending a few requests."

"You really make it sound like a dating site." Kyungsoo chuckles.

"Well, yeah. It's basically the same kind of thing, right? The end goal is just a bit different. Would you rather be assigned an assistant?"

"No, not really." Kyungsoo shudders at the thought. He'd much rather pick his own assistant and preferably the were-cat from before, Kim Jongin. Gut instinct, he might call it. Jongdae would probably call it a crush. He'd be wrong, though, of course. He's never even met the guy. And if it  _ were _ a crush, that’s more reason not to pick him.

"You were given a standard thing to send out, that describes the job, right? By the boss? Just send that to a bunch of people and see who responds."

"Yeah, you're right." Kyungsoo shrugs. While this agency was recommended by the government, it’s not actually controlled by them, so they have the liberty to choose which jobs they take on. Most of them will probably not be interested in working in abjuration, honestly. Maybe he'll add a little flair into the job description and make it sound more exciting than it actually is. He snorts, wondering how he'd actually manage to do that.

"On a side note, these two are  _ so  _ gross. I hope I was never that bad." Jongdae comments, side eyeing the young lovers, who are currently holding hands above the table.

"Oh, leave them be. Your dancing is worse." Kyungsoo scolds. Chanyeol has just kissed Sehun's forehead, and the younger of the two is clamming up, having noticed that both of them are staring now.

"Isn't he cute?" Chanyeol says, leaning against his boyfriend who stutters and flushes, telling him to stop it. Kyungsoo's chest clenches in jealousy what the two of them have. He hasn't had a boyfriend since he was in university; they broke up a few months after graduation, when their lives started going separate ways. It was sad, but Kyungsoo is fine now. 

"How did you guys meet?" He wonders, thinking back to his time at university.

"At a football game. Chanyeol got so excited that our team scored, he dropped his drink  _ all over me. _ " Sehun deadpans. Chanyeol looks out into the distance, like he's on ‘The Office’, probably having heard this retelling many, many times. He sighs longsufferingly.

"How many times did I apologise for that?"

"A lot." Sehun laughs. "But I was so mad, because you had basically ruined these new jeans that I was wearing for the first time. In fairness, he offered me money to buy new ones."

"Don't say that like you didn't accept it  _ and _ ask for a coffee on top of that." Chanyeol gripes, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips, suggesting that he's not mad about it at all.

"That was my way of asking you out." Sehun insists. Kyungsoo watches their exchange indulgently, wondering if they realise that they're leaning closer and closer as they tell their story. He shares a look with Jongdae, who is looking like he wants to either leave them to it, or make them stop.

"I'm still not sure I believe that, I think you just wanted free coffee from me."

Jongdae clears his throat, making them jump. Sehun ducks his head and Chanyeol folds his hands in front of him, blushing pretty heavily though not nearly as shy as his counterpart.

"Well, how about you guys?" Chanyeol turns the original question back on them. "Do you have significant others?"

"Nope." Jongdae says, glumly. Kyungsoo makes a face that shows he's in the same boat, then knocks back the rest of his drink.

"Scuse me," he mumbles scooting past Jongdae,, "actually, what do you guys want? I'll buy the next round."

"Oh, you’re the best. " Jongdae pats his back. "I'd like another of the same."

"Sure, what about you two?"

"Uh. The same, please? I'm not sure what's cheapest." Chanyeol looks at the floor.

"I'm not buying any cheap crap." Kyungsoo informs him, "How about something nicer? I could get pear cider instead of the stuff from the tap."

"Oh, are you sure?" Chanyeol seems hesitant. Kyungsoo waves his hand dismissively,

"Don't worry about it!" He says, heading off to the bar and leaving Jongdae to third-wheel for a bit.

 

Two hours, a shared bowl of chips and a few more drinks later, Kyungsoo is  _ definitely _ drunk but still sober enough to know that they should really start heading home soon. Jongdae has started cracking his usual dirty jokes and telling the other two details about hook-ups that none of them really want to know.

"Are you two gonna be alright getting home? I can call a taxi, if you want." He says, patting Chanyeol’s shoulder.

"Aww, aren't you a mother hen all of a sudden?" Jongdae snorts, leaning his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "My heart is all a-flutter."

"Wasn't talking to you." Kyungsoo shakes him off, much to Chanyeol and Sehun's amusement. They have handled their drink way better than Kyungsoo and Jongdae.

"No thank you, we live pretty near here. We don't even have to take the subway."

"Good." Kyungsoo nods, pushing all the glasses into the centre of the table and stacking them to make it easier to tidy away. On second thought, he might just take them straight to the bar. He gathers them all up and stands, the floor suddenly swaying underneath him.

"Oh- ok. Kyungsoo’s in cleaning mode." Jongdae announces, reaching out to stop him. "Leave it be, man, don't wanna drop anything."

Kyungsoo looks down at the bunch of glasses in his arms and wonders if maybe the drink he had was stronger than he thought. Maybe his tolerance is getting worse, now that he's older. Shit.

"I think that means it's time for us to go home." Jongdae says, patting Kyungsoo's back. Kyungsoo rubs his forehead, nodding in agreement. He didn't mean to stay out this late, especially since it isn't even a Friday- not that it means anything, as he works most weekends too now.

After waving goodbye to Sehun and Chanyeol, who apparently live in nearby student accommodation together, Jongdae and Kyungsoo head towards the nearest subway station. The train car is eerily quiet when they get on, it seems like they're being too loud but he can't really tell. Jongdae is one stop farther than him, so Kyungsoo is the first to get off. Heading up the long escalator he starts humming softly to himself.

When he gets home, he should send out those requests, he thinks. The sooner the better, right?

Kyungsoo actually finds himself excited to meet his new assistant, whoever they might turn out to be. It would be nice if it was Jongin, the were-bombay cat, but it will be just as nice if it's one of the others he's picked.

The short walk back to his place is pleasant, if a little cold, so it's relieving when he can finally let himself in. Once changed into his pyjamas, he curls up in his bed with his laptop and diligently copies out the printout of the message he needs to send, double checking it for spelling mistakes. He sends it out to the top five on his list, greeting them all personally. It takes him longer than he expected as he forgot to copy the whole thing before sending it to the first recipient, so he has to type it out twice.

When it comes to the request for Jongin, he bravely puts a few smiley faces in there, hoping that it isn't too unprofessional. 

He presses  _ send  _ with a sense of accomplishment. Nodding proudly to himself, he shuts his laptop down and puts it back in its bag. Maybe, he’ll have a few responses back by tomorrow.

 

Kyungsoo still doesn't have any replies by mid-morning. He should really stop checking his phone every ten minutes, but he can't help it. He's only got two tests done today, when he should have done three or four, even considering the cool-down period in between castings. Resolving to actually concentrate on some work now, Kyungsoo crosses the room to shove his phone in his coat pocket, hanging above the door frame.

Out of sight, out of mind.

A little calmer, now that the itch is further away from him, he settles back into his seat determined to knuckle down and get to work. He draws out the circle using a compass and begins filling it in. 

Kyungsoo has looked through the messages that he sent last night and the one he sent to Jongin, has two winking faces. It definitely borders on the creepy side of flirty, which is unprofessional in the first place, so he won't be surprised at all if he doesn't even get a 'no thank you' back from him. He sighs, hunching over his work book sadly. He signed his name with three ‘x’s. 

How is it possible to ruin something before even starting?

Somehow, he manages to finish another two test spells before lunch time, but he still hasn't received positive responses.  He's sullen and quiet through lunch again, despite Chanyeol's jokes and Baekhyun's laughter.

About ten minutes before lunch time officially ends, his phone  _ pings  _ again. He scrambles for it, Jongdae leering over his shoulder like some kind of parrot.

It's from Jongin.

It's an acceptance.

He bites his lip to keep from smiling, his bad mood instantly lifting.

"Got a date?" Baekhyun asks, nosy as always. Kyungsoo almost nods.

"I'm finally getting a familiar." He says, smiling now.

"Really? Nice!" Baekhyun claps, Seungwan joining suit. "Congrats! It's about time, really."

"Yeah, everyone knows you've gotten the short end of the stick, being the loneliest one in your department." She jokes. Kyungsoo sticks his tongue out at her, and opens the acceptance message.

It says;

 

_ Hi there, Kyungsoo! :D  _

_ I recieved your job offer, and I'm interested in learning more. As you saw in my profile, I am experienced with spell casting, and I'd be an excellent choice for your assistant. Or familiar, as I believe theyre called in your employment? :3 _

_ There is one problem that might arise: I don't live in  _ _ Yeong Si _ _ , so I would need time to find temporary accomodation closer to your workplace.  _

_ I look forward to working with you. _

 

_ Many thanks,  _

_ Jongin ;) xx _

 

Kyungsoo winces at the winky face and kisses he's added at the end, wondering if he's making fun of him for that. Does he know that he was tipsy when he sent that? God, he hopes not.

"Oh my god, is that a winky face?" Jongdae laughs, "is he flirting with you? You don't even have a picture up, do you?"

"I don't." Kyungsoo confirms, covering the top half of his face and tilting the screen away from him. Jongdae just keeps laughing.

"’It's not a dating app’, my ass." He chortles. "If you guys don't get together after this then I'm calling the love doctor; my mum."

"You what?" Kyungsoo squints at him, flushing. “Since when was your mum a love doctor? If anything, YOU need help. Go get some dance lessons! Why on earth would you get your mother involved?” He rolls his eyes dramatically and looks back down at the message.

How on earth is he meant to reply to this. How is he going to even  _ look  _ at this guy, if he hires him, after this?

"I'm just saying." Jongdae smiles innocently.

"It  _ would  _ be pretty funny if you got together." Seungwan admits.

"I don't even know if I'm going to take him on yet." Kyungsoo deadpans.

"You know as well as we do that you're lying." 

"This is not! A dating app!" Kyungsoo insists, hating that he's probably a deep shade of beetroot red by now, if the heat on his cheeks is any indication. The others just laugh at him. 

“Don’t deny it, Kyungsoo, it  _ totally _ is. Their motto may as well be ‘Hot familiars near you! Click to find out more!’” Baekhyun snorts. He genuinely needs this guy to do work for him, not to just be...eye candy. Not that he  _ is _ going to be eye candy. Kyungsoo shakes his head.

"I'll wait until this evening to decide who I'm going to accept once and for all. I might end up liking one of the other people better." He says. Nobody looks like they believe him.

"No one else has accepted yet. Also, what's this about needing a place to stay?" Jongdae asks, highlighting the line with his finger. Kyungsoo shrugs.

"Maybe you should offer him your sofa, huh? Or your bed~? With you still in it? " Jongdae teases, jeering and jibing. Smiling glibly, and knowing that Jongdae (probably) doesn't mean any harm, Kyungsoo just lets his words slide off of him like water from an umbrella charm.

 

Kyungsoo does, in the end, decide on Jongin. He sends off the final acceptance once he gets home, clicking the big green tick button above Jongin's face. He feels a strange mixture of emotions once he's done. Happiness is one of them; he's finally going to get some help, which means that he's going to be able to get this spell reworked faster. Guilty, for having to reject the other applicants. Embarrassment is also there, on some level, because he's going to have to meet this guy face to face and have him meet his friends. There's also a touch of anxiety too, for some reason. He isn't totally sure why, since this is only going to be a professional relationship. Sighing softly to himself, he closes the website down and scrolls through his Pitchr page for a while. There's his usual supply of cute animal videos which make him smile.

There's also a news post that tells him enemy submarines have been spotted off the south coast.

He stares at it for a while, willing it to change before his eyes but it doesn't. His stomach curdles. If Hanju are moving in on GeunTo waters, then that means there's a good chance they're preparing for an attack. He shudders and closes that page too, perusing a different website for a while instead.

 

Kyungsoo wakes up to another message from Jongin. Before heading into work, Kyungsoo sits on the sofa and stares at it for a while, conflicted. Toast in one hand and his phone in the other, he reads and rereads the message a few times before it sinks in.

 

_ Hi, Kyungsoo! :D _

 

_ Since this job is pretty urgent, and you want me working on monday, would you mind helping me find somewhere to stay during the weekend? I will find somewhere permanent during the first week, but two days is too short notice for me to find even a cheap apartment :’< _

 

_ Thanks in advance, _

_ Jongin ;) xx _

 

In theory, Kyungsoo would be more than happy to help, but he isn't sure exactly how he's supposed to do that. He could give him money to pay for a hotel room for a week, perhaps? Or he could offer him his sofa, like Jongdae suggested. But wouldn't that be unprofessional? Jongin has sent him another winky face, which makes his stomach twist in a way that is a mix of dread and excitement. Kyungsoo's leg bounces, as his finger hovers over the reply button, still deliberating over his answer. He doesn't want to make it sound like he's coming onto Jongin, especially after all these stupid emojis, but if he doesn't want to make Jongin or himself pay out of their own pocket for accommodation… 

 

Whatever. Fuck it.

 

_ Hi, Jongin :) _

 

_ I have a few options I could give you. First, I could give you a bit of money to go towards a hotel room for a few days and a recommendation of decent hotels near the building. I could ask around if anyone has a spare room to lend you, or you could use my sofa to save money. _

 

_ Kyungsoo.  _

 

There. It seems a little too clinical maybe, but it's professional and that's what counts. There, he's done it. He can go into work now, knowing that help is on its way. He smiles to himself, pleased that things seem to be looking up. Some things, at least.

Kyungsoo wonders if Jongin is as touched by the fear eating at the city's heart, the people here are so terrified of an impending attack. In the past, larger cities have always been the biggest targets, but they haven't been hit here yet; not even with something small. All of the attacks have been closer to the border. 

It's not a matter of if but a matter of  _ when  _ the Hanjurians attack, so the masses are all holding their breath, waiting for the penny to drop.

But maybe, living on the outskirts of the city rather than in the centre like Kyungsoo, Jongin will not be quite as affected.

He makes sure his collar looks alright and isn't too crooked, although he can never win with this particular shirt before finally heading out. He turns tail and heads back inside however, when he finds that it's raining and grabs his raincoat. He supposes he could cast a rain repellent spell, but it's honestly more trouble than it's worth. A coat can be put on in less than half the time it would take, to draw the damn thing.

The subway is especially crowded today, smelling of a whole group of soggy strangers crammed together in one place. Kyungsoo knows that the odour is going to cling to him and follow him around all day, no matter what he does to get rid of it. Better to just suck it up and accept it now.

Just before he arrives at work, his phone pings again to tell him that he has a new message from Jongin. He feels rather popular; work emails get sent around the same time each week and if his parents want to talk to him, they'll call him in the evenings. His university friends don't talk much on social media anymore, preferring to arrange meetings every other month or so to catch up.

 

_ Hi Kyungsoo :) _

 

_ If it's ok with you, i'd like to spend as little money as possible so could i sleep on your sofa for the first few days? I could compensate by buying food, or i could just give you some money for the trouble. Would saturday be too early? _

 

_ Thanks, _

_ Jongin _

 

Kyungsoo notices that he's stopped with the winky faces now and some part of him is disappointed. But, he  _ wants _ to stay at Kyungsoo’s house for a few days; his insides flutter as he reads it. Technically, he’s already agreed to this, so there’s no going back now. He’s going to have a stranger in his apartment for the next few days; a  _ cute _ stranger. He sends back a polite confirmation, already deciding that there’s no way he’s going to tell Jongdae about this; because he’ll never hear the end of it. If it gets pointed out that they arrive at the same time, he can make up some lie about meeting him before coming to work or something, it’s no big deal. 

But he wants to come on  _ Saturday _ . That’s only the day after tomorrow, Kyungsoo frets. 

He supposes that it won't make much of a difference, all things considered. Apart from working at home, it’s not like he’ll be doing anything over the weekend. It will only be for a few days, so why not? 

He gets off the subway car, dodging through the bustle of people overflowing through the station. Trying to find a calm spot so he can reread the email once again, in case he missed anything; he didn't. Shoving his phone back into his coat pocket and pulling his hood up in preparation, Kyungsoo joins the throng of people climbing up the narrow staircase into the city centre. Everyone seems to be in a rush, hardly looking where they're going as they tear through the streets. Kyungsoo doesn't blame them for wanting to get out of the rain, but being pushed and shoved doesn't put him in the best of moods.

When he gets into his office, he hangs up his coat on the back of the door and shakes some of the moisture out of his hair- even with his hood up, it hadn't stopped him from getting rained on. Now then, he thinks to himself, how should he respond to this email? Should he ask for any money? He’s already getting subsidised to pay him.

In the end, after all the time he spends prevaricating, all he answers with is:

 

_ Hi Jongin!  _

 

_ I can put you up for a couple of days, and you can pay me back by buying lunch for me, and working really hard as my assistant. How does that sound? :) _

 

_ Thanks, _

_ Kyungsoo _

 

It takes shockingly little time for Jongin to respond, which makes Kyungsoo wonder if he was waiting for it. He doesn't bother with the formal greetings, this time.

 

_ Thanks! I'll work super hard, don't worry. I promise i wont be too much of a bother, either, and ofc ill buy you lunch :D _

 

_ Thanks so much! _

_ Jongin _

 

Kyungsoo smiles at how nice this guy seems to be. He writes like a teenager though, and while that is sweet, he hopes it doesn't mean he's going to act like a teenager as well. As long as he's a help, rather than a hindrance, it should be fine. He won't know until they start working together, so all he can do is wait until then. In fact, meeting him before they're due to work together would probably help. 

That's that. He shoves his phone into his coat pocket, so he isn't tempted to look at it again while he's supposed to be working, then opens his workbook to a clean page.

 

By the time lunch break rolls around, Kyungsoo is grumpy again. He leaves just a couple of minutes early, waiting outside Jongdae's office door until he comes out so they can head down to the cafeteria together. He's sure his hair is probably sticking up in all directions by now, because of how many times he's run his hands through it and tugged at it in frustration. He tries to flatten it down a bit before Jongdae comes out. Inside, there is a lot of people shouting and arguing but nothing sounds too critical; one voice is louder than the others, apologising repeatedly. Is that Chanyeol?

The door clicks open and a cloud of black smoke billows out into the corridor, making Kyungsoo cough and splutter.

"What the hell?" Panicking, he lifts the collar of his shirt over his face and peers inside, hoping that everyone is alright. Kyungsoo squints through the smoke and Jongdae comes into view, flapping his hands to dispel some of the smog.

"What's going on?" Kyungsoo asks, as more and more people file out of the room, he hadn't ever registered that so many people worked in Jongdae's department. Six more people join them out in the corridor, all holding their hands or their collars over their faces like Kyungsoo.

"Chanyeol fucked up." Jongdae sighs, not sounding particularly annoyed. Kyungsoo nods understandingly. Almost everyone has had a spell backfire on them, or mess up in some way. At least his spell actually caused something to happen, which counts as progress. "He smoked out the office, but it's not too bad."

"And nothing got damaged?" Jongdae opens his mouth to answer, but is cut off when the fire alarm goes off. A wailing siren noise filling all available space and taking over any conversation.

"Aw fuck!" He yells, jolting at the ‘ _ shah _ ’ of sprinklers activating. Jongdae dashes back inside to rescue his papers from sodden death. Kyungsoo winces, but doesn't try to help, not wanting to make anything worse than it already is. Chanyeol, his fringe singed, seems to be on the verge of tears. Kyungsoo sidles up to him, placing one hand on his shoulder comfortingly. It’s hard to be soothing when he has to yell over the sound of the alarm, but Kyungsoo tries anyway.

"You ok?" He asks. Chanyeol looks at him and shrugs, looking at the floor once more. "It happens to all of us at some point, don't worry about it too much, alright?"

"What, blowing up your entire department?"

"I’m sure you didn't blow anything up, it's just smoke." Kyungsoo reasons, but Chanyeol shakes his head.

"There was an explosion as well."

"Oh. Well, Jongdae said it's ok and he's your boss. Listen to him. Trust me, you aren't the only one to have made a mistake like this." Kyungsoo chuckles, recalling the time Jongdae accidentally short circuited the entire building. The power had only been out for an hour or so, but it had still caused a huge uproar. Chanyeol sighs visibly, his head hitting the wall behind him. He wipes his eyes with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Alright." He says, whether to get Kyungsoo to leave him alone or because he actually intends to take this in stride, he doesn't know. But Chanyeol seems like an optimistic guy, he won't let something like this drag him down. They stay there for a few more minutes, watching as the whole department, minus Chanyeol, works in unison to protect their reports and computers. One of them is on the phone to management, explaining the situation and asking for the alarm and sprinklers to be switched off. His hand is cupping the mouthpiece to help keep the sound of the alarm from drowning him out.

The alarm cuts out, to the cheers of the staff that were tidying up. The absence of the alarm later leaves Kyungsoo reeling. He can still hear the ghost of the awful sound ringing in his ears. While the rest of the people around start picking up as much paper as they can salvage, Kyungsoo nods towards the elevators.

"C'mon, let's go get some food." He says, tugging on Chanyeol's sleeve, "I'm getting hungry."

Together, they head to the cafeteria, Kyungsoo buying ramen that they're serving today and Chanyeol a sandwich. Kyungsoo tries to make Chanyeol feel better by telling him about some of the embarrassing spell mishaps, that Kyungsoo has witnessed, during university and while working here.

It only takes about ten minutes for the rest of the experimental spells department to filter in, hair soggy from the sprinklers and covered in ashy smudges but still smiling. They get food quickly and even though both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol have already finished, they wait for Jongdae to join them.

"So." Jongdae begins, already digging into his ramen. "there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the sprinklers washed out some of the spells, so you're going to have to apologise about that, but they had them recorded anyway, so it isn't too big of a deal, really. The good news is that this counts as a workplace accident and that means we're allowed to leave early." He grins at Chanyeol.

"That's a relief." Chanyeol sighs, sagging into his seat."So we can really just go home now, if we wanted to?" He asks, a sparkle of hope in his eyes. Jongdae shrugs.

"Well, you have to fill out a report first; but essentially, yeah."

"Sweet!" Chanyeol grins, suddenly perking up. "I can go watch Sehun's dance practice."

"Aw, cute. Does he have a performance coming up or something?" Kyungsoo asks, relieved that the perky intern is back to his usual self.

"Yeah! If you guys are interested, I could probably get you tickets?"

"I'd love to come and see, but it will depend on the timings." He says, trying to think ahead. He's going to be super busy in the near future. While he will need something to take his mind off work at some point, he doesn't want it to mess up the completion of the spell.

"I'll definitely come, if you can get us tickets." Jongdae nods.

"Awesome! I'll ask him when I see him today, then." Chanyeol promises, already messaging his boyfriend to tell him the good news.

"And what about you, huh? Are you having any luck with your future boyfriend?" Suddenly the irritation from earlier comes flooding back.

"Jongdae, will you fuck off? He's not going to be my boyfriend. He's my assistant and I swear to god if you make anything weird, I will murder you."

"Oh, wow, ok." He raises his eyebrows. “You definitely need one, either way."

"What do you mean?" Kyungsoo narrows his eyes.

"You either need to get laid, or get a familiar. One way or another, the levels of stress will be reduced." Jongdae laughs when Kyungsoo punches him, not hard enough to hurt.

"Maybe you should concentrate your efforts on getting laid yourself, asshole." Kyungsoo snaps. "God knows you're more bearable when you have a girlfriend to whine to."

"Ok, Kyungsoo,  _ that  _ was harsh." Jongdae scolds, holding his hand to his chest. Frowning, Kyungsoo realises that he's right and a twinge of regret pulls at his chest. He apologises through gritted teeth. "No worries. When is your familiar arriving?"

"I'm picking him up from the station on Saturday."

"Oh, so he's from out of town? Wait, you're picking him up? Hasn't he found somewhere to stay?" Jongdae's eyebrows are drawn together, his confusion making Kyungsoo's cheeks turn pink.

"He's going to stay at mine for the weekend while he finds somewhere else. He didn't want to spend a lot of money and I don't blame him for that."

"Or he's trying to get- ok, ok!" Jongdae rolls his eyes at Kyungsoo's warning glare. "But don't you think it's a little suspicious?"

"No. The website screens people for potentially suspicious behaviour and if they have a police record it has to be stated. He's not a criminal or anything."

"That's not what I meant, but sure. If you're fine with it."

"Why didn't he just ask you to contribute to paying for a hotel room?" Chanyeol purses his lips.

"Look, I don't know, ok? Maybe he’s just cheap. But this is the way it's turned out. It's not like he's the biggest thing to be afraid of at the moment anyway, is it?" A sombre silence grows between them. He sighs, that familiar ache of a headache pulling just behind his eyes. Knowing that he has to go back to his office and hunch over that damn spell circle for the rest of the day, is already grating on his nerves. Especially when the other two get to have a holiday. Maybe he should blow up his department too.

"Alright, I think I'm going to head back." He informs his friends, rubbing his hand over his face, trying to get a little relief. He picks up Chanyeol's rubbish from his sandwich and everyone's empty plates, disposing of them on his way out. Since lunch technically isn't over yet, he'll probably waste a bit more time watching dumb internet videos, or message Jongin about the specifics of how they plan to meet up.

 

Tapping his foot, Kyungsoo checks his phone for the time once again. It’s 3:25, which is no different from the clock that’s on the wall, so he doesn’t know why he bothered checking. 

Jongin is due to arrive at 3:27 and the butterflies in Kyungsoo’s stomach have evolved into a strange, new kind of insect; huge and terrifying. Kyungsoo makes a mental note of where the toilets are, in case he needs to make an escape. He hopes that his sweat patches aren’t too obvious, especially since it’s not even hot in here. 

He has no idea why he’s so nervous. The last time he was like this, it was before his interview for the job he’s got now. 

Time seems to stretch on forever, until the timetable above him changes from ‘in transit’ to ‘arrived’ for Jongin’s train. His heart starts beating out of his chest. From the other side of the barriers, Kyungsoo can see that a train has pulled into the station and tons of people are flowing from the open doors. He’s looking for a guy with black cat ears and a tail. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Kyungsoo squints into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of triangular ears but it proves to be harder than he thought. Starting to panic, Kyungsoo gets out his phone so that he can quadruple-check the time he was supposed to meet him. His sweaty fingers are fumbling with the passcode, when a shadow cuts out some of his light. Kyungsoo looks up and his mouth falls open. He hadn’t expected Jongin to be so  _ tall. _

“Kim Jongin?” Kyungsoo verifies, feeling time stop when the man before him smiles brightly. Fuck. 

“Hi.” He says, his voice softer than he was expecting too. Kyungsoo shakes himself out of his stupor, wondering why he even had these dumb expectations anyway. 

“Hello.” He nods his head politely. “S-shall we go?” Kyungsoo asks, hardly waiting for Jongin to catch up. He is clearly struggling, as he drags a large suitcase behind him. Jongin’s legs are longer than his though, so it doesn’t take him long to keep pace with him, even though he’s tugging a heavy weight. Wait, he should offer to carry something, right? That would be polite.

“D-do you want me to carry anything?” Damn it, why is he stuttering? He's a grown ass man, what is his body playing at?

“No thank you, I’m fine.” Jongin says, sending him another pretty smile. Kyungsoo gulps and looks away. He hopes this wears off quickly, because he needs to be able to concentrate at work and he doesn’t know if he will be able to if Jongin's this charming all the time. He doesn't know how to start a conversation yet, not without bringing up work right away. So Kyungsoo doesn't say anything at first, except to point out which direction they're going.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a car, so we're going to have to take the subway." Kyungsoo explains, leading him towards the ticket machine. Kyungsoo pays for a subway card for Jongin, so that he can top it up with his own money. Once that is done, they head towards a narrow set of stairs. Jongin takes pause at the large sign above the doorway saying 'SHELTER'.  Kyungsoo smiles weakly at Jongin, who seems a little shellshocked. His ears are lying low against his head and something inside Kyungsoo wants to reassure him that it's there just in case, but he isn't the type to lie.

"It's for if we get attacked; all the subways are safe zones." He says, trying to keep the delivery as tactful as possible.

"But what if the attack is down here?" Jongin frowns. Kyungsoo shrugs and makes a start on the steps.

"Then I guess everyone tries to get above ground. There's only so much you can do in any given situation."

"Are all city people so 'come what may' about this?" Jongin wonders, hauling his luggage down behind him and holding it back from slipping all the way down.

"Well, everyone is expecting some kind of attack sooner or later." Kyungsoo explains, "It's just a matter of time, really. I mean, you've heard all the reports of movement around the coast, right?"

"Yeah, it doesn't sound good." Jongin murmurs, his ears now flat. Kyungsoo cringes, what was he thinking bringing up war talk, of all things, on their first meeting? Can't he think of a nicer thing to talk about? Wow, he hasn't felt like this much of a loser since he was in high school, and that is a time he  _ really _ doesn’t want to think about.

"Nope." Kyungsoo agrees quietly, helping Jongin shift his suitcase down the stairs. Once they reach the bottom, it doesn't take long for a subway train to appear and take them to the main line. There, they can switch to the track that will take them closest to Kyungsoo's apartment. The subway car isn't too crowded, but it's a challenge to get the suitcase to go over the gap between the train and the platform; together they manage. There isn't a seat for them though, so they stand in the mid-section, right by the door. It's only two stops anyway, so it's not a big deal.

"Is it always this busy?"

"It's Saturday, so it's actually pretty quiet today. It's usually much busier. Unless it’s raining, then it's even worse." Kyungsoo shudders, "Midsummer rain is the worst, we're lucky we're past that season. It's just hot, sweaty and damp in here. It always smells bad. Like, worse than it does right now."

"Oh. That's not good."

"Nope." Kyungsoo nods, focusing his attention on rereading the fire safety instructions, that he's read a million times before, instead of the tightness of Jongin's jeans. Those are really not work-appropriate; he better have something else to wear. For the sake of health and safety. There's probably a rule about that, somewhere.

"So... was the journey here ok?"

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad. It was only about an hour on the fast train! I reserved myself a seat too, so I didn't have to stand for any of the journey."

"That's good." Kyungsoo nods again, fidgeting with his keys inside his pocket. The automated voice announces their station stop, making Kyungsoo start. "This is us." He informs Jongin, assisting him in lifting his suitcase down and wheeling it to a different platform. It's a bit of a walk to their transfer, all of it in a hot, dusty underground corridor filled with small vendors. Jongin doesn't seem to like it much, neither does Kyungsoo, but at least with all of the things to look at, neither of them need to say much.

"After this subway section, it's not that much further to walk, I promise." Kyungsoo says, hoping he sounded friendly.

"We haven't walked far yet." Jongin comments, amused. Maybe he thinks city people are lazier than most? Kyungsoo frowns, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well..." He can't think of anything to say in return. They drift into a somewhat uncomfortable silence, until they reach the another set of train barriers. Kyungsoo doesn't think he's been this awkward with a stranger in over a decade.

"So, tell me about the work you've been doing." Jongin says, as they drag the suitcase through the larger barrier door. Kyungsoo’s mind goes blank.

"Uhh, I work in abjuration."

"Yeah, it said that in your email. I want to know specifically what you're working on right now, though. It must be pretty complex if you need a familiar, right?" Kyungsoo starts at the use of the term 'familiar', he had thought it was a term only magic-users knew. It’s not that strange, considering Jongin has experience with spellcasting after all but something about it sounded  _ intimate _ .

"Uh, yeah. I'm reworking an old spell and it's a really large complex one. When I was given the task, I thought it would only need a few alterations but… I may as well be making a completely new spell, which is not something I'm used to. I've gone through a lot of combinations, but nothing is working so far." They both have to push to get onto this train cart, as the main lines between city stops tend to be busy all the time. Jongin looks a bit uncomfortable squished up against the wall with the suitcase pressing against his body.

"An old spell?" Jongin queries, "aren't  _ all  _ spells old?"

"No? Well, not exactly; that's why we have the Experimental Spells Department. A lot of spells are old, or at least have very old components. Protection spells, for example, almost always have an outer ring that was designed several hundred years ago, even if the adhesive components change throughout the ages. New spells are designed all the time though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, one of my friends is working on a new incendiary spell." Kyungsoo smiles, proudly.

"For... for combat use?" Jongin raises an eyebrow, curious and ears twitching. Kyungsoo nods, shrugging bashfully.

"Yeah, with the war efforts going on, there's a lot of funding being put into offensive spells lately. There is more for my area as well, but there aren't many people that are interested in working with protection spells. So it doesn’t seem like that much on paper."

"I see." He nods, lips pressed together in a sharp line. Kyungsoo can't tell if that's because of the war talk again, or because he's not happy with how he's squashed against the train.

"So, what have you done? I mean, you've been an assistant before right? What sort of things have you had to do for that?" Kyungsoo asks, not wanting to bore Jongin before he absolutely has to.

"Well, I've done a few secretarial jobs and I worked in a lab for about four months. I worked as an assistant for someone who made custom heat warding spells for a while, so I know how to copy some circles and symbols.  It's mostly been short things here and there, helping out some smart-type people." He directs that last part at Kyungsoo, in a way that Kyungsoo would have interpreted as flirtatious if he didn't know otherwise. He clears his throat.

"So you already have a pretty good idea of what you'll be doing for me, then?" Kyungsoo says, knowing before he finishes that it could be taken as a double entendre.

"I'm sure I can handle whatever you have for me, yeah." Jongin smirks, probably finding his nervousness amusing. Kyungsoo’s cheeks are burning. Laughing awkwardly, not quite able to meet his eyes, Kyungsoo urges the train car to hurry up so they can start walking again. It was less awkward when they didn't have to stand opposite each other, making small talk. He's normally not bad at small talk, so Kyungsoo isn't sure what's gotten into him today. Maybe it's the long lines of Jongin's body, the unexpected almost model-level attractiveness of the man, that has him tongue tied. Ugh, he is so screwed.

The automated voice announcing the station couldn't come soon enough and the moment it does, Kyungsoo is elbowing a path through the masses so that Jongin can get his luggage off. He pretends to be occupied in finding the way to go, even though he's uses this station every day and knows the layout like the back of his hand. Jongin doesn't question it, though he does appear to be a bit bemused. Kyungsoo can feel him staring at his back as he leads the way.

They take the escalator and as soon as they hit the cool air outside, Jongin's posture relaxes, shoulders falling back and tail flicking comfortably.

"Not far now." Kyungsoo says again, pointing in the direction of home. He can actually see his block of flats from here. Jongin gestures for Kyungsoo to lead the way, so he does, taking them past a few of the restaurants that only open in the evenings and the corner shop that he buys instant noodles from in times of need. 

They take the lift up to Kyungsoo's floor, and Kyungsoo wonders if the management could do a little more on the upkeep of this place; some of the paint on the walls is peeling in the corners.

"Home sweet home." Kyungsoo mumbles, pulling the key out of his pocket. Unlocking the door, it swings inwards, revealing the dark smudge of his living room. Rushing to turn on all the lights, so it looks a bit more inviting, Kyungsoo heads to the kitchen to make some tea.

"I hope you don't mind the mess." Kyungsoo says, even though he spent about three hours that morning tidying everything away and making the whole place look uninhabited in.

"Do you want some tea?"

"What mess?" Jongin's eyebrows draw together surveying the room, in particular the sofa, where he's going to be sleeping for the next few nights. Kyungsoo has already put out some pillows and a pile of blankets for him to sleep on. He draws his hand along the top of it, taking in the smoothness of the fabric.

"Tea?" Kyungsoo prompts, pulling out two mugs anyway.

"Oh, yes please." Jongin finally responds, setting down his suitcase beside his ‘bed’ and making his way to the kitchen. "what kinds do you have?" He peers into the cupboard over Kyungsoo's shoulder.

"Uh, black tea, green tea and a bunch of floral ones. Jasmine, chamomile. That kind of thing." He winces, waiting for the  _ grandpa  _ comment, but it never comes.

"Just normal black tea will be fine, thank you." He says, voice sounding deeper this close up. It sends shivers down Kyungsoo's spine, which he quickly shakes away. Kyungsoo fills the kettle and sets it to boil, when he turns around, Jongin is leaning against the island counter, looking as though he's meant to be there. Kyungsoo wishes he could look as comfortable as that, in any given situation. He folds his arms across his chest.

"Have you tested out the sofa yet? I can give you extra blankets and cushions if you need them."

"It seems fine to me." Jongin smirks again, probably amused by his worrisome nature. Kyungsoo thinks it’s probably going to be one of his quirks and he's just going to have to get used to it. His expression turns serious. "Thank you, by the way."

"It's nothing." Kyungsoo mutters, turning around to make the tea, now that the kettle is boiled. "Milk is in the fridge if you want it." He says, handing Jongin his mug, the tea bag still inside. He is having his favourite jasmine tea and it smells delightful. He holds it under his nose and inhales, the scent calming and familiar.

"I prefer my tea black." Jongin explains, sipping at it slowly.

"I'd suggest that we move to the sofa, but it's kind of..." he waves his hand in that general direction, and Jongin snorts into his mug. Kyungsoo smiles over the rim of his own and they meet eyes. This time, Kyungsoo doesn't look away instantly, but he only lasts a few seconds.

"Right, well. I suppose I had better give you the grand tour." He puts his tea down on the side. "So that's the living room obviously, and this is the kitchen. The bathroom is down there on the left and my bedroom is on the right, in case you need me during the night or something… That’s… it… "

"That was very quick." Jongin teases playfully.

"Yeah well, not everyone can live in a four storey mansion, you know? I don't have the salary for that."

"Can you even find mansions in the city?"

"No, probably not." Kyungsoo admits ruefully, "but there are some pretty big houses in the suburbs. That would be the dream."

"Cheers to that." Jongin jokingly raises his mug, grinning. "To living in a big house. Someday." Kyungsoo laughs, raising his mug too and clinking them together.

 

Rather than embarrass himself by trying to cook successfully, Kyungsoo offered to order takeout instead; fried chicken and noodles. While they were waiting for it to arrive, they'd deconstructed Jongin's makeshift bed and folded it up. They put Kyungsoo's small TV on, managing to find a decent movie that both of them had seen before to play in the background as they chatted.

It's easier to talk, Kyungsoo finds, having gotten used to having Jongin around. But now that he's in his room, changing into his pyjamas, the awkwardness is coming back. Normally, he only wears a sleep shirt, since he likes the feel of the covers on his bare legs (it’s not that weird), but maybe while Jongin is here he should wear the bottoms as well. Just in case he  _ does _ need him for some reason during the night. Lip caught between his teeth, he pulls them on anyway. He can take them off once he's cleaned his teeth, he reasons. 

He sidles into the bathroom. Jongin is already there, a headband keeping his bangs back from his face, as he washes up. He’s wearing loose shorts and nothing else. His tail pokes through the left leg of his pyjama bottoms and his back muscles shift as he rinses his face off. Jesus. If Kyungsoo hadn’t thought he was like a model before, he definitely does now.

Jongin jumps when he looks up and sees Kyungsoo there, his ears alert and his tail fluffing up. Kyungsoo jolts in surprise, ready to scamper away,

"I-I'm sorry, I'll come back in a minute!"

"No!" Jongin raises one hand, "I mean, it's ok. I'm just washing my face, it's not a big deal."

"You're sure?" Kyungsoo raises one eyebrow, unconvinced. He knows he wouldn't exactly want an audience when he's washing up, especially when that someone is a stranger they met that day. But if Jongin is fine with it then he sees no reason to complain.

"I'm almost done anyway." Jongin says, patting himself down with a towel. Kyungsoo pointedly looks at anywhere but Jongin's torso, knowing that it will give him complicated feelings. He really does not need those feelings right now. He replays Jongdae's teasing, about him and Jongin ending up dating eventually in his head, and grits his teeth stubbornly hoping to prove him wrong. He's a  _ professional _ , dammit, and this is a business relationship. That is  _ all _ this will be.

He squeezes out a blob of toothpaste and starts brushing his teeth slowly, waiting for Jongin to leave like he said he would. He takes his sweet time with it, putting his things back into his travel bag and zipping it up. Kyungsoo looks at himself in the mirror and wishes his cheeks weren't pink, it's probably pretty obvious why he's flushed.  _ Why _ isn't he  _ leaving? _

Kyungsoo is long done by the time Jongin finally decides to disappear. He spits into the sink and rinses. His mouth felt like it was on fire while waiting for Jongin to leave. What was  _ that _ all about? Was that even a thing, or was it just his imagination? He takes a deep breath and shrugs. Whatever. Maybe he just likes to take his time with his evening routine or something.

He leans both hands on the sink and stares at his reflection.

"Time to go to bed and figure out what to do tomorrow." He sighs.

Sleeping with a stranger, however attractive or nice, in the next room is going to be weird.


	2. Part 2

Sunday is for sleeping in, it always has been. Kyungsoo rolls over in his bed, curling up under the duvet as he slowly wakes up. It isn't too late, luckily, so he doesn't have to be embarrassed for sleeping in. He stretches his body out, feeling sleepier than usual, and thanks whatever deity might be up there that he technically doesn't have to do any work today. It doesn’t stop him from feeling guilty, though.

Dressing himself casually enough to not make Jongin feel uncomfortable, Kyungsoo slips across the hall into the bathroom. He didn't get a good glimpse of his guest, but he seems to still be sleeping. Kyungsoo brushes his teeth extra quietly, so as not to wake him, then sneaks as carefully as he can through to the kitchen.

Jongin has made a mess of his living space. Kyungsoo stands before it, hands on hips, and frowns; the werecat has pulled all the cushions off the sofa and onto the floor, and wrapped himself up in the blankets he had given him. His tail sticks out from one of the folds, curled around his body like a protection barrier. It's kind of cute- it would be absolutely  _ adorable  _ if it were a child- but Jongin is big and Kyungsoo can't see a way to the fridge; not without stepping on some part of his cushion mountain and waking him.

"Well shit." He mutters to himself. This is what he gets for taking strangers into his home. He's a bit offended that Jongin thinks it’s ok to just come  and make himself so at home, but seeing the way Jongin sleeps, there's no way he would have stayed on the narrow couch anyway. He supposes that Jongin's method must be tried and tested. He had better clean up after himself, though. Kyungsoo doesn't want to confront him about it, but he will if necessary.

It's not early enough for it to be considered rude if he accidentally wakes him, so Kyungsoo is just going to have to take his chances.

Arms out for balance, Kyungsoo treads delicately around the sleeping feline. Jongin lets out a snore and fidgets in his sleep. Kyungsoo freezes, waiting until he's sure Jongin is still asleep before moving again. He isn't sure why he does this, since it would probably be far less suspicious if he  _ isn’t  _ standing like a criminal caught in the act when he wakes up, but he couldn't help it. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kyungsoo makes his way into the kitchenette and scours the cupboards for something to eat. He bites his lip looking once more at Jongin, who will probably want something to eat as well when he wakes up. He doesn't have a lot that would constitute breakfast food. He's usually in a rush in the mornings.

Should he try and impress Jongin by making something from scratch? He peers through the fridge, spying a box of eggs and some left over beef. He could make omelettes perhaps? But then, would Jongin come to expect that kind of thing every morning? Frowning, he closes the fridge door hard, making the bottles clink together loudly. He winces, peering over at Jongin again, who is still snoring softly. His stomach growls.

_ Fine _ , he's going to make an omelette.

Midway through the first one, Jongin rouses behind him. He groans, voice low and resonant, like a punch to the gut. Kyungsoo doesn't turn around, afraid that Jongin might see how flustered that one, _ not even sexual _ , noise has made him.

"Mm, Kyungsoo?" The sound of rustling blankets must mean that he's getting up. Kyungsoo desperately shoves away all the insane fantasies that suddenly feel like showing up in his brain; of Jongin coming up behind him and leaning over to see what he's doing, of Jongin hugging him from behind, reaching around and-

"-you cooking?"

"Huh?" Kyungsoo jumps, turning slightly. Jongin is closer than he had expected and still  _ fucking shirtless _ . What the fuck. Jongdae was clearly right, it's been way, way too long since Kyungsoo has had any kind of action.

"I asked 'what are you cooking?'. I'm sorry, is it still too early for you too?"  Jongin laughs, scratching the back of his head. Kyungsoo clears his throat and looks intently at the omelette, poking at its edges to make sure it doesn't stick.

_ Jongin is his assistant. Jongin is his assistant. Jongin is his assistant. _

"I'm making an omelette. Do you want one?"

"If you're offering, sure. Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I'll be good. You can go freshen up, it will probably be done when you get back."

"Good idea." Jongin nods, backing away; maybe he forgot that he wasn't wearing anything more than boxers. He hops over his makeshift bed, "oh, I'm sorry for making a mess, by the way. I'll clear it up in just a sec!" 

"That's ok." Kyungsoo says quietly, pointedly not turning around as Jongin rummages through his suitcase. He never would have guessed that Jongin was such a messy type of person just by looking at him.

He breathes a sigh of relief when Jongin takes off to the bathroom to get changed and shakes the pan a little.. It's pretty much done, so he takes it off the heat and starts to rummage for a plate big enough to serve it on. He bought all his crockery when he moved into this place, but he didn't buy anything for large meals since he assumed he wouldn't need it. He regrets his lack of foresight now, and pulls out two regular sized plates. He'll just have to cut it in half, no big deal.

He uses chopsticks to cut it, rather than a knife, so he doesn't scratch the bottom of the pan. Jongin returns just as he is serving the first half onto a plate. Thankfully, he is fully dressed in a form hiding sweater and loose jeans.

"Here, you can have this one." He slides it across the counter, "cutlery is in the top drawer over there."

"Thanks." Jongin smiles brightly, "I feel like I'm at a four star hotel or something." He says, pulling up a seat as Kyungsoo puts the now-empty frying pan into the sink to deal with later.

"What? Not a five star hotel?"

"Well, no, I mean; I had to get my own cutlery, that only deserves four stars." He teases playfully. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him. Jongin is much easier to deal with when he's not half naked. 

"I had no idea you were such a critic." He deadpans, "if the meal isn't to your liking, you don't  _ have _ to have it, you know."

"No! It's great, thank you for making it." Jongin backpedals, eating faster just in case Kyungsoo takes it away. "What have you put in it, seriously, it's really good." He asks, at least covering his mouth as he speaks.

"Eggs." Kyungsoo says, smirking. Jongin rolls his eyes.

"Aside from the eggs, Captain Obvious."

"Diced beef, a bit of onion, salt and pepper, a few spices." He lists off the ingredients, trying his best to make it not sound like 'whatever I had lying around in my fridge'.

"You must be a natural cook." Jongin compliments him again, beaming. Kyungsoo can't help the smile that forces its way onto his face.

"Are you just trying to make me forget about the four star thing?" He asks, grinning.

"Not at all!" Jongin exclaims, eyebrows hidden in his hairline in over-done innocence. Kyungsoo gives him a knowing look. "Ok, well maybe a bit, but it really  _ is  _ good."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kyungsoo preens. "Do you have any idea what you want to do today?"

"What are the options?"

"Well, we could get straight into doing some work and figure out how to get into a routine together. I usually also work on weekends, so I have my workbook here with me; we could do one or two test spells today. Or alternatively, we could use this one free day as a holiday and do either nothing, or see what we can do in the city. It's up to you." He shouldn't really give Jongin the choice; of course he won't choose to do work on a supposed day off.

"Hmm." Jongin contemplates as he finishes the last bit of his meal "by the sounds of it, you could do with a holiday." Kyungsoo probably  _ does _ need a holiday, but if he takes one, then the country will have to wait longer for reliable protection. He cringes at the thought. The higher ups haven't explicitly said that everyone is relying on him for a miracle, but that's basically what it comes down to. If he fails, people will die and he doesn't want blood on his hands.

"Just today then." Kyungsoo says, albeit reluctantly. "What do you want to do? Stay in? Go out?"

"How about we go out for lunch? I can pay for us, that was the deal, right? I pay for meals."

"Oh, yeah." Kyungsoo nods, "how far do you want to go? I can think of a few places we can go nearby, but there's nice restaurants in the city centre."

"Close by is good." Jongin smiles, "cheaper too, probably. I'm not made of money." His ears twitch suddenly and Kyungsoo is distracted. Sometimes he forgets that he's a werecat, not a regular human, since his ears blend in so well with his hair.

"I think your neighbours are leaving, or something." Jongin explains, a little bashful of his staring. Kyungsoo didn't hear anything.

"Your hearing is that good?" He asks, in awe. Jongin nods.

"As good as any regular cat, yeah."

"I had no idea." That means there’s nothing he can do in this apartment, without the other man knowing. Nothing at all. Kyungsoo looks again at the other man's ears, before realising how out of line it is to stare and promptly stopping. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I take it I'm the first were-person you've met?" He asks, to which Kyungsoo nods.  "The main things most people don't know are that yes, we hear better than average. Same goes for smell. We don't change with the lunar cycle, that's a myth. 'Were' just means 'man', and the lunar cycle thing was from back when we thought magic came from the moon. We now know better, but the reputation for were-folk stuck. Mostly just to associate us with ‘heathen religions’ and all the negative connotations that come with it. That’s all in the past though."

"Oh. That makes sense. So you can shift wherever and whenever, then?"

"Kind of? It's not exactly the most comfortable or attractive thing, but theoretically yes, we can. I don’t really like doing it, honestly."

"Is the whole thing about were-people being twice as magically strong as other people true?" Kyungsoo asks, wanting to put Jongdae's theory to the test. Jongin seems to consider this.

"I don't know. I mean, technically yes? But we're all so different? Like I'm a were-cat, so my second body isn't that large, which means that my energy reserves aren't  _ hugely  _ different than someone who is just naturally energetic. Although cats are typically stronger in the magic department, I guess. It all depends, is what I'm trying to say."

"Right." Kyungsoo says, understandingly. You can't put an entire subset of people into a box.

"So, what was it like growing up for you? You don't have to answer if that's a weird question."

"No, it's fine. It wasn't really that different from anyone else, I don't think? I mean, I guess I learned at a pretty young age that there's a lot of weirdos out there who see me and my kind as a fetish; which isn't great. Apart from that and a few isolated incidents, it wasn't that bad." Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose at the word 'fetish'.

"That sucks."

"It could be worse." Jongin shrugs, dismissively. 

 

"So… Do you have any hobbies?" Kyungsoo asks, as they head towards the city centre. They had decided that sitting around watching TV was getting boring. Kyungsoo had promised that they’d be able to find something to do in town and had persuaded Jongin to come outside. Kyungsoo enjoys feeling the sun on his face, even though he's squinting at everything.

Jongin seems a bit more comfortable using the subway system when he doesn't have to lug around his suitcase. His tail is kept close to his leg and his ears lay flat on his head the entire time, however. It's pretty noisy down here, so if he's got better hearing than most people, it must be overwhelming for him.

"Hobbies?" Jongin repeats, thinking it over to himself, "nothing really major at the moment. When I was a kid, I went through a phase where I'd collect bugs? But other than that, and gaming or whatever, nothing."

"Oh." Kyungsoo tilts his head. Kyungsoo doesn't really have any hobbies at the moment either, what with the huge workload he has to get through. If he had a day off to himself, he wouldn't even know where to start.

"What about you?" Jongin reflects the question back at him.

"Reading? I like sci-fi books. When I get time, I mean, I haven't read a book cover to cover in over a year now." Kyungsoo pouts, missing the days where he could just take a weekend and read an entire book or two. Jongin hums sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've been pretty busy lately. I really want to take up a sport, or do something active but there just isn't enough time."

"You mean you  _ don't _ go to the gym?" Kyungsoo turns to Jongin, incredulous. Ok, so he wasn't totally ripped or anything, he has a sort of soft tummy, but that kind of body still needs maintenance.

"Nope." Jongin flexes, an annoying cocky smirk on his face, "this is all natural." Kyungsoo shakes his head, refusing to believe it. He usually isn't that bothered about his body image, but Jongin makes him a bit self conscious. 

"Have we decided what we're actually going to do yet?" Jongin asks, leaning into Kyungsoo to divert him out of the flow of oncoming foot traffic, "I think we only agreed on 'something that isn't shopping'."

"Yeah, something like that." Kyungsoo purses his lips, trying to think of something that isn't too touristy. "Hey, have you ever visited the old circles? Where the legends say the first magic took place?"

"No?" Jongin raises his eyebrow. "I keep forgetting that they exist. I've never seen them myself, but my aunt brought me back some pictures once. I'd be ok to go there."

"Yeah? It's another short trip on the subway, though." Jongin blanches at that, but steels himself.

"That's ok. It will probably be worth it, and I have to get used to the subway anyway, since we'll be taking it every day, right?"

"Right." Kyungsoo nods, "it's a really nice little place; if you like museums, there's a small one there too."

"I never liked them as a kid, but that was because the school trips were always to the crappy local natural history museum. I'm more interested in magic than rocks, I must say."

"What are you talking about? Rocks rock.” Jongin stares at him. “No? I think you'll like it better than the shopping district anyway." Kyungsoo agrees, laughing.

 

The old circles are located on the other side of the city centre, a large section of green in the middle of an otherwise grey, concrete hub. It's been preserved for centuries and the people who work there take great pride in the upkeep of the area.

They pay for entry, but it’s not expensive enough to make Kyungsoo hesitate. On the way into the sanctuary, Jongin picks up a selection of leaflets and a map. Kyungsoo doesn't think the place is big enough to warrant a map, but if Jongin wants it he's not going to say anything.

"I haven't been here since my first year of uni." Kyungsoo breathes, taking in the cool air. It's still a bit smoggy, since they can't exactly escape the city, but it's a lot less overpowering

"How long ago was that?" Jongin asks, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm twenty eight, not fifty." Kyungsoo scoffs, "that's only... _ oh _ ." He sags, counting up the difference. He was eighteen, then.

"Ten years?" Jongin nods impressed. "That's a pretty long time."

"Yeah… " Kyungsoo ignores the teasing look in favour of the bright green of the trees. 

They decide to start by making their way through the museum section, milling around quietly, reading the inscriptions of old memorial stones and enchanted medallions. The lowly lit room feels smaller than Kyungsoo remembers, and there isn’t all that much here to learn that he doesn’t already know; but Jongin seems interested, so it isn’t a wasted venture. They don’t spend any longer than half an hour there before they head outside, skirting by the souvenirs shop on the way.

Through the glass doors lie the old circles themselves. The shapes are faded now, though the way the grass grows on them shows their true form; the magic cast here was strong enough to burn the ground, leaving it barren of plant life for decades. When greenery finally started to grow back, some genius decided that it would be a good idea to preserve it and religiously burned the grass. 

"What was it a spell for?" Jongin asks, leaning over Kyungsoo as he crouches down to get a better look. The grass is in need of mowing and the shapes are pretty indistinct, but Kyungsoo can recognise the characteristics of a war spell when he sees one. He wonders if one of the leaflets has a clearer version of the spell. He unfolds the shiny paper and scours it, matching up the symbols he knows; some of the old ones look a bit different to the script they use today.

"If my ancient spell knowledge is correct,” he pretends to push up a pair of imaginary spectacles, speaking in a nerdy, nasal voice, “it was used to blow up a neighbouring town."

"Oh." Jongin says, disappointed. Kyungsoo shrugs, pretending that he's not as upset by this as he really is.

"People have always wanted to kill each other." The words come with a twist to his gut. People will probably  _ always  _ want to kill each other, for some reason or another. He shakes his head.

"Do you want to take a picture of it?" Kyungsoo asks, hesitantly. Jongin seems to consider this for a moment, before speaking.

"Nah, it's not really that impressive."

"Not now that you know what it was for." Kyungsoo sighs loudly. "I think the other one was used defensively, I wanna go look at that one."

"Sure. You're the expert." Jongin says, helping him up from his crouched position. Too much desk work has given him achy knees that click when he stands upright. He groans, pointedly  _ not  _ looking at Jongin who is probably laughing at him.

The abjuration spell turns out to be a lot more interesting to Kyungsoo. It has a somewhat crude feeling to it, he just can't put a finger on  _ why  _ that might be. It's not the fact that it’s burnt into the grass, it’s something about the quality of the linework; was it done in a rush? He wonders if the person who made this spell was under time pressure, like Kyungsoo is. He kneels there, staring and analysing the markings for longer than he means to. He can sense the desperation behind each line, the frantic speed at which it was drawn out; this was truly a life or death situation. The enemy was firing; the evidence is right there in front of him. The symbols for armaments and flames right there in the circle. Kyungsoo pictures all the screaming and shouting, the chaos and the confusion surrounding the magician as they desperately completed such a complicated spell circle.

Jongin is probably getting bored, sat on the bench behind him, but he can’t bring himself to move. He feels a strange kinship with the anonymous magician who drew this. 

“Shall we go look for somewhere to eat?” Jongin eventually interrupts, with a tap to his shoulder. Kyungsoo feels as though he’s been woken from a dream. He blinks rapidly and shakes his head. “You ok?” Jongin asks, concern pinching his eyes. Kyungsoo nods.

“Yeah…  Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

The day is cool for late summer and Kyungsoo is wearing a long sleeved shirt to keep warmer, as his office doesn’t exactly have the best aircon. Jongin has somehow managed to squeeze into those skin-tight trousers again, and Kyungsoo didn't want to bring it up in case he made anything weird. There isn’t actually a rule against tight clothing; Kyungsoo checked. 

Jongin attracts the attention of almost everyone they pass by, which means that people are staring at Kyungsoo too. He doesn't seem particularly talkative this morning. He isn't exactly a morning person in general apparently. After having stayed up a little late searching for apartments that do short term leases, to no avail, he's extra sleepy. He promised that he'll wake up properly in time to do some work, especially if they sell coffee anywhere nearby. 

Kyungsoo feels like he's guiding a child up the escalators, ushering the were-cat into the open air. They stop by a coffee shop and, true to Jongin's word, he perks up once he's sipping a sugary caffeinated drink through a straw. Kyungsoo passes by his usual tea shop as well, dropping in to get himself his usual jasmine beverage before continuing on to work.

"Here we are." Kyungsoo announces as they arrive at the tall, window-walled building that Kyungsoo practically lives in now. It's only been two days since he was here last.

"Whoa! This is where you work?" Jongin's eyes are wide in awe, as he tilts his head back to get a full view. Does he know that this angle shows off his jawline, or is he just oblivious?

"Yeah." Kyungsoo shrugs. "My office is sixth down from the top, but it doesn't face this way."

"Oh?" Jongin tilts his head curiously.

“Yep.” Kyungsoo replies, pulling open one of the six glass doors and crossing the lobby towards the elevators, joining the mass of people congregated there. Kyungsoo usually forgets that the ceilings are decorated with delicate mosaics, and chandeliers lit with light bulbs that look like candle flames. However, with Jongin here he gives them a moment to take it in before calling the elevator.

"How old is this place?" Jongin asks, squinting up at the mosaics, which depict astronomy charts in swirling, luminescent colours.

"It's only about sixty years old." Kyungsoo says.

"Really? It seems older than that."

"It's still impressive, though, right? I heard they spent a ton of money commissioning the ceiling. It seems older, because they went for a classic kind of look, with all the pillars and chandeliers. It's way more modern upstairs. I think this is the way it is to impress people." Kyungsoo laughs, raising an eyebrow pointedly at Jongin, who purses his lips.

"Well, it's impressive." He says, in his defence. Kyungsoo nods jovially.

The elevator arrives at that moment, doors sliding smoothly open. Everyone piles inside, Kyungsoo and Jongin are some of the last few to enter. Kyungsoo finds himself having to lean into Jongin to not get caught in the doors. Usually, Kyungsoo arrives a little earlier but they had been set-back by Jongin's slow awakening and the visit to the coffee shop.

Jongin's hand, large and burning, presses into his hip to keep him steady. It doesn't do much to help, as he's already got Jongin's chest up against his back anyway. Kyungsoo tries to breathe and reaches to press the button for his floor.

"Sorry." He mutters, glad that no one can see his face right now.

It's an agonising few minutes, waiting for their floor, people coming and going at every stop, jostling Kyungsoo further into Jongin. Is it just him or is it way too hot in here? He would fan his face, but his arm is trapped next to his side, pinned in place by all the other people surrounding them. Jongin's hand is still on his waist- he probably can't move any more than Kyungsoo can. Kyungsoo tries to turn his attention away from every minute twitch and flex of Jongin's fingers, so he starts reciting the laws of magic under his breath.

The light above the door finally changes to '23', signalling their floor. Kyungsoo has to elbow a few people out of the way to escape from the claustrophobic closeness. The air is cooler out in the hallway, and finally feels like he can breathe again.

"Whew." Jongin says, eyebrows raised. "Is it usually that busy?"

"No. Well,  _ yes _ , but I usually get here earlier."

"Oh." Jongin scratches the back of his head bashfully. "My bad, I'll be up earlier tomorrow, I promise."

"You better be." He smiles to soften the blow, and starts walking towards his office, smoothing back his hair and hoping it doesn't look too bad. He peeks in through Jongdae's door window as he goes by, but doesn't see much other than the fact that he's already there, poring over a selection of circles. He catches a glimpse of a firearm, as well, on the tabletop.

Upon reaching his door, he makes an extravagant gesture for Jongin.

"This is me. Or  _ us _ now, I guess. Welcome to our second home." Kyungsoo winces at how weird that came out, but Jongin doesn't even bat an eyelash at it, instead peering inside.

"It's not very big." He observes. Kyungsoo pouts.

"It's only me working here, usually. I don't  _ need  _ a huge lab space." He enters, putting his laptop down on the desk and unloading the book from the drawer underneath. The old tome lands with a heavy  _ whump _ on the hardwood and makes Jongin flinch.

" _ This _ is what you're working with? It looks about a hundred years old."

"Actually, it's two hundred and thirty years. And just one spell in particular..." He flips to the page in question, displaying the ancient abjuration spell in all its complicated glory. Jongin evaluates it.

"So... Why, exactly, can't we just use it the way it is now?"

"It's not strong enough." Kyungsoo’s face tightens. "As it is, it was designed in the times when arcane wizardry was a thing. To make it work it requires at least ten people's magic, just to cover a small village sized area. I'm trying to get it to be more efficient in its' use, so less people are needed to cast it, and still have it cover as much, or more area. I'm also  considering tweaking the outer lines more to see if that improves the overall durability of the barrier. Y’know, since the Hanjurians are probably using far more advanced destruction magic. It would be pointless if I worked so hard to make the spell work and then it was shattered by a single blast from the north, right?"

"That seems like an awful lot for one person to be doing by himself, aren't there usually teams dedicated to this type of thing?"

"That's why you're here!" Kyungsoo grins, joyfully handing Jongin a pen and a pile of papers. "Can you start by drawing out some basic circles? It will speed things up just a tiny bit, but I'll really need you for casting later on, when I get to that stage."

"Sure." Jongin looks a bit taken aback, but he accepts the ink pen and looks around. "Shall I... work on the floor?"

"Oh." Kyungsoo blinks, wondering why that hadn't occurred to him. "Uh, I didn’t think of that. Sorry, I could try and clear some space on the desk?" He shrugs, pushing the books aside. The truth is, there just isn't enough room for the both of them. Jongin shakes his head and sinks down to the floor, stacking the sheets of paper to one side.

"It's ok. If I'm just drawing circles this will be fine."

"Alright. I’m really sorry, I should have asked ahead for an extra desk.” Now he feels like an idiot. “H-how confident do you feel with rearranging symbol order in spells? If you get tired of that, then you could do some combination tests. That's what I'll be doing all day."

"Do you have them prepared?"

"Yep, I set up an algorithm on my laptop that sorts all that stuff out."

"But computers can't actually cast, i get it." Jongin nods understandingly. He's already started drawing out a very neat circle. Judging by the steadiness of his penmanship, Kyungsoo can tell he really does have experience and wasn't just saying that.

"Yep, so our human hands have to suffer."

"I feel sorry for the magicians back in the day who had to do this by hand. Like,  _ all _ , of it."

"Yeah, me too." Kyungsoo agrees, sympathising for those poor, probably apprentice, magicians. He cracks his knuckles and stares down at his blank page, feeling more motivated to tackle this task than he has in weeks. It probably has something to do with the fact that he's not stuck in here by himself anymore.

 

The first circle he draws is a bust and so is the second. Both of them had stood over it, the spell placed on the table top, both their hands touching the linework to let their magic flow through it. There wasn't even a spark, even when Jongin seemed to really be pushing.

This is normal for him, but Jongin seems a bit put off. After lunch, they get straight down to work again. Jongin now has a small, rickety desk that administration dug up from somewhere, but it serves his purpose well enough. It means that his office feels more crowded now, but there's still space to stand up and stretch his legs between drawing and casting spells.

He works slower than that morning, pen pressing so hard into the paper that it almost gouges a hole straight through. Kyungsoo sighs through his nose watching his lack of progress and wonders if that's how he looks to his other colleagues, when things aren't going well for him.

"C'mon, Jongin. It's nearly lunchtime. See if you can get that one done, then we can head to the cafeteria."

"Oh yeah, and I'm buying, right?" He jokes, smiling wanly. Kyungsoo can see that he's gritting his teeth a little. He must be as irritated by the lack of progress as Kyungsoo is; just wait until he's endured  _ weeks  _ of this.

"That's right." Kyungsoo replies. "The quicker you finish that, the quicker we can go get lunch. We have five minutes, technically, but it will take that long to finish the circle, let alone cast it."

"Can we cast after we've eaten?"

"Uh, I guess? Sure, why not." Kyungsoo shrugs; it doesn't make that much of a difference in the long run. He turns back to his own work and adds the finishing touches to the outer barrier line. If only he could scan that part out and save time; but the spell might not work if he does that and he doesn't want to risk it. Some, less complicated, spells function fine when printed from a machine, but lots don't; the pixelation in the scans can ruin the delicate lines. A lot of magicians who work with experimental spells also just don't like their work being made digital like that, preferring to keep to their hand-drawn roots.

The last tiny dot on the paper drawn in, Kyungsoo fans his hand over the finished piece and looks down at Jongin. He's crouched above his sheet of paper, the curve of his spine evident in the way that he's hunched over his work. His tail lazily flicks to and fro, and if Kyungsoo knows his cat-body-language then that means he's enjoying himself, at least a little, right?

"Almost done… alright, there! Let's go." Jongin says, standing up with a groan and stretching his back out. He reaches his arms above his head and Kyungsoo catches a flash of skin before he's bending down to touch the floor. Well, almost touch it.

Kyungsoo takes one last look over his desk, to make sure nothing is unnecessarily out of place, before joining his familiar to get food.

"What kind of food do they serve here?" Jongin asks inquisitively. Kyungsoo shrugs.

"It depends on the day really. Sometimes it’s stir fry, sometimes curry. Sometimes fries and nuggets."

"Is it good, at least?" Jongin wrinkles his nose at Kyungsoo's less than satisfactory tone. Kyungsoo raises his hands in placation.

"Oh, yeah! It's not crap at all, it's pretty good actually. I've never felt the need to bring in my own lunch, at least."

"Well, that's a relief." Jongin snorts. "Although I'm sure your cooking is just as good as anything a chef here can do."

"Such flattery." Kyungsoo reprimands, but is still pleased by the compliment.

"Hey!" An unidentified shout commands their attention and causes Jongin to wince. Kyungsoo turns around in alarm, but ends up rolling his eyes. Of course, it would be Jongdae; he was probably waiting for them to go by his office so he could accost them.

"Hey," Jongdae repeats, quieter now that he's caught up with them. Chanyeol and a couple of other interns are peering around the doorframe, probably wondering what on earth is going on.

"You must be Kyungsoo's new familiar." Jongdae says, holding out his hand. "I'm Jongdae."

"Jongin." He shakes Jongdae's hand, a little put off by his sudden appearance.

"You're taller than I expected you to be." Jongdae comments, pursing his lips as he studies him unabashedly. "Now me and Kyungsoo are going to look tiny whenever we go out with Chanyeol and his boyfriend, thanks a lot."

"Uh, I'm sorry?" Jongin tries to keep up with Jongdae.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Jongdae waves him off, "you were going to the cafeteria, right? I'll join you guys. Wait here for a moment." He turns on his heel and darts back into his office. There's a bit of rustling and low comments passed between him and his underlings. Kyungsoo sends Jongin an apologetic look. He should have warned him about Jongdae.

This time, when Jongdae comes hurtling out of his office, it’s with Chanyeol and Joonmyeon hot on his heels. Kyungsoo is surprised to see Joonmyeon outside of the office, since he usually leaves early to get food and eats while he works. Kyungsoo can't function like that.

"This is Chanyeol, an intern of mine, and Joonmyeon, another Experimental Spells master."

"Hi." Jongin nods politely to both of them. "I'm Jongin, Kyungsoo's assistant."

"Nice to meet you!" Chanyeol grins, his charming exuberance washing over him as he goes in for a bro-hug. Jongin pats his back awkwardly, but doesn't look uncomfortable. Ever proper, Joonmyeon settles for a handshake. Kyungsoo supposes it's for the better to get all of the introductions over and done with.

"What are we doing standing in the corridor?" Jongdae asks no one in particular, "c'mon, I'm hungry." With that, he throws his arms over Kyungsoo and Jongin's shoulders, despite it being a bit of a stretch, and begins to walk towards the elevators. Chanyeol watches behind them, disappointed at being left behind. It only takes him two strides to catch up, however, and he joins them on Jongin's side. Kyungsoo eyes him nervously, is he avoiding Jongdae?

"I'm guessing it was you two I heard arguing earlier?" Jongin sighs, looking between them both. Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows. Had he heard something? Kyungsoo hadn't noticed any shouting, but he was engrossed with his work, and he just doesn't have the hearing Jongin does.

Joonmyeon, a silent observer, steps inside the elevator and presses the button.

"Ah, yeah." Jongdae looks down, letting his arms drop, "Chanyeol pointed out a mistake of mine and I guess I was a bit bitter about it."

"It was an easy mistake to make." Chanyeol murmurs, voice low and remorseful.

"Yeah,  that's what's got me so annoyed. I need to do better at keeping focused. It turned out alright in the end, though… Or, as well as any failed spell attempt could be." He laughs, "speaking of failed spells, how is your work going?" The elevator opens up  and they take the small journey to the large room and join the cafeteria queue.

"As failurific as ever." Kyungsoo smiles a sarcastic smile. "Jongin is being a good help so far, we're going through options much quicker than I would on my own."

"Ehh, what did I tell you?" Jongdae jabs his elbow into Kyungsoo's side a few times. "I  _ told  _ you a familiar would help." Kyungsoo pushes him away, snorting.

"Yes, yes, you were right. You're the smartest. Blah blah." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes fondly. "You're such a kid."

"You know it." Jongdae winks, before ordering. He tries to woo the server with a cheesy grin and finger guns, but the lady isn't having it. He doesn't let it get him down, however. "She loves me." He reassures everyone watching.

It's not hard to find a table that will fit all of them. Kyungsoo, naturally, ends up seated by Jongin and opposite Jongdae. Jongin's longer legs somehow end up in Kyungsoo's way, but when he brushes up against him, he doesn't move or say anything. Kyungsoo doesn't say anything either, not wanting to make a mountain out of a molehill.

"So." Jongdae asks, making a steeple with his fingers. "What's it like working with Kyungsoo?"

"It's fine?" Jongin shrugs. "We've only cast a couple of things together so far, I'm not really in a position to judge."

"I see." Jongdae muses over his food. "I see. Very diplomatic." Kyungsoo thinks he's trying to seem like he's having smart thoughts. He hums enigmatically.

"Well, in that case, I hope you two get along well in the coming months. And I hope you give Kyungsoo a  _ hand _ , he's been stressing lately."

"Yeah?" Jongin side-eyes Kyungsoo, which has him stupidly flustered.

"W-well anyone would be!" He snaps, defensive. 

“It's true that you've been having to deal all by yourself. I'm glad you have help now. I hope you're able to help him." Joonmyeon says to Jongin.

"I'll do my best." Jongin nods sagely, finishing off the last of his food. "What are you guys working on then?" He asks, sparking them off on a conversation about their current projects. Kyungsoo is pleased at how well the newcomer seems to fit into their group;  he even has them all laughing over silly anecdotes from his childhood.

 

On the subway home, Kyungsoo feels more awake than usual. Jongin had offered to take charge of casting most of the spells, with a small break for recovery time, which had allowed Kyungsoo to draw a few more circles. It meant that they progressed at a rate almost double the speed and Kyungsoo is holding out for the same routine tomorrow.

The only downside is that it wears Jongin out. He had walked like a zombie from the government building, all the way to the subway.

He's now nodding off on Kyungsoo's shoulder and his hair keeps tickling his neck. Kyungsoo looks down at him fondly, Jongin didn't have to push himself so hard today, but maybe he was trying to prove himself? Either way, he's proud of him. Of both of them, honestly. He’ll suggest that they switch over the roles for tomorrow.

He has a feeling that this might really work. Some day soon, they'll crack it and the spell will flare to life under their fingertips. He hasn't felt this hopeful in a while and it's all thanks to Jongin.

Without being weird, he ruffles Jongin's hair in between his ears to wake him up. Not to feel how soft the silken strands are beneath his fingers, of course.

"Jongin, this is our stop." He says, trying to rouse him gently. The werecat is going to be sleeping like a log until early morning at this rate; he'll have to try and keep him awake long enough just to make sure he eats.

Jongin groans, eyes opening a crack. He rubs his eyes sleepily and grumbles something under his breath as he stands up. They're pretty lucky they got a quiet cart, otherwise Jongin would be swaying and bumping into everyone. Kyungsoo shakes his head and gets up to make sure he doesn't hurt himself on the step out. He's heard stories about people getting trapped between the doors and he'd rather not see  _ that  _ in person.

Kyungsoo feels like a shepherd, guiding Jongin up the escalator and out onto the street. He checks a few times, only to find that Jongin's eyes are shut tight. He might as well be sleepwalking at this point.

The steep stairs up to his apartment are a challenge as well and he wishes this building had an elevator.

It doesn't take long for Jongin to curl up on the sofa after getting in and kicking off his shoes. Kyungsoo smirks, and shakes his head.

"I'll let you rest for a bit, and I’ll wake you up when I've put some food together, ok?" Kyungsoo says, wanting him to know what's going on. Jongin mumbles what seems to be an affirmative, so Kyungsoo leaves him to it. He’s so cute.

He rummages through his fridge, throwing together some vegetables in a pan with some oyster sauce. It won't be anything too fancy, just a stir fry, but hopefully Jongin will be too tired to care. Maybe tomorrow, if this continues in the same way, they can pick up some fried chicken on the way home.

With the food sizzling satisfactorily, Kyungsoo peers behind him, looking at Jongin. All he can see of him from here is the top of his head. He can hear him breathing, though; almost snoring but not quite.

It's not as awkward as yesterday, just having a half naked Jongin in the room with him. He'd like to put some music on, or maybe the TV to fill out some of the quiet, but silence is nice too sometimes. He doesn't want to disturb the sleeping werecat.

Noodles are the last thing to go on the hob, straight into boiling water. The packet says they only take three minutes, so hopefully it will be done at the same time as the vegetables.

Pulling out some plates, Kyungsoo wonders how best to wake Jongin. He considers leaving the plate out for him when he wakes up naturally, but that might not be till morning. He doles out the food and carries it over.

"Jongin?" He tries gently. He doesn't stir, even when Kyungsoo wafts the plate under his nose. Nudging him with his foot is what wakes him in the end, but his eyes never open all the way, even as he shovels the noodles into his mouth. Kyungsoo feels awfully guilty about exhausting him like this, on his first day no less, especially when he himself still feels great. Tomorrow he’s definitely insisting that they switch.

When Jongin is done, Kyungsoo takes his plate from him and washes up, as Jongin slowly makes his way to wash up. It's very early to be going to sleep, but if he's that tired then Kyungsoo won't say anything. He just supposes that this means he won't be looking for other apartments tonight. That's fine.

While Jongin is out of the room, Kyungsoo puts out the blankets and pillows, before remembering that Jongin is just going to make a mess again anyway so he needn't have bothered.

Jongin emerges a few minutes later wearing only his boxers again. Kyungsoo is getting better at looking at only the man's face, rather than ogling his body. It's a skill that's going to take a long time to perfect, he realises, with a gulp.

"Is it ok if I turn in early?" Jongin asks, speaking more clearly than he has in hours. Kyungsoo nods vigorously.

"Yeah, of course, do what you need to do. I'll just be in my room if you need me for anything."

"Ok." Jongin sends a bleary smile his way, that has Kyungsoo's tummy doing funny things.

"Ok. Right. Goodnight then." Kyungsoo points towards the corridor, then scurries off that way. As he changes into pyjamas, though it's barely seven o'clock yet, Kyungsoo wonders if Jongin should eat more. 

He'll ask in the morning.

 

Several days pass and Kyungsoo learns that Jongin would happily devour fried chicken every day of the week, if he could, but wouldn't eat anything bitter if his life depended on it. While Kyungsoo can chug back a cup of black coffee in the mornings, Jongin won't even touch it unless it has all the sugar and cream that can possibly fit inside.

"You should just have energy drinks instead." Kyungsoo complains one morning, after waiting in line for way too long for whatever syrupy frappe thing Jongin bought.

"I should." Jongin nods, raising his eyebrows, "I could buy them in bulk, too. Remind me on the way back, we could pick some up then. Back in my university days, I used to go through a six pack of Mythril cans a day."

"I'd say 'are you even human?' but that doesn't really apply to you, does it?"

"Being a were-animal does absolutely nothing for caffeine tolerances. I get the shakes just as bad as regular humans, let me tell you." He shudders, reliving a memory.

"I was a good student, I only had one coffee a day."

"Did you limit yourself to that?" Jongin wrinkles his nose. "You seem to have a thing about limits; only an appropriate amount of everything, unless it's work. Did you never caffeine binge?"

"Only once, and I hated it so much I never tried it again. It was an all-nighter before an exam."

"Oh god. Did you pass that one?"

"Yeah. Just barely." Kyungsoo shakes his head. "I'm amazed that I managed to get the last circle drawn at all. I'm sure I got points deducted for jaggy line work, though."

They pass under a building with a huge screen on the front, showing a news channel. The building is opposite Kyungsoo's, but since his office faces the other direction he can't see it while he's working; which is good for him because he would get easily distracted. At the moment, they’re replaying a clip of Zhao Ying speaking at a press conference the week before, where he denounced the evil of the southerners, and swore that he would cleanse the world of ‘evil magic’. Kyungsoo looks away.

"What exam was that for?" Jongin asks, heading up the short flight of steps to the entrance.

"That was advanced restoration. I had to do more than one module to graduate. I don't remember a lot of that stuff now, it's been a long time since I looked at any healing spells."

"Yeah, you've just been cramming your head with barrier stuff. I'm not surprised there isn't any room left for me inside you."

“W-wha-” Kyungsoo stutters at Jongin’s playful jibe, mouth hanging open when he winks. Jongin laughs it off,

“Kidding, kidding.” He says, but the butterflies in Kyungsoo’s tummy disagree.He feels like he’s just going to have to get used to being permanently flustered around him.

 

It takes Kyungsoo a few minutes to recover from that, and it’s only when they finally reach his office that he finally feels the heat fading from his cheeks. He lets out a huge breath, and glances in Jongin’s direction; he’s not looking, too busy setting up his things. What has he gotten himself into? Kyungsoo moves to get his things out as well, ready to start slogging through more variations.

With a lot of trial and error, throughout the week the pair of them have come up with a routine that is efficient but doesn't leave them feeling like death. Jongin still snoozes on the subway, head lolling on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, but he's awake enough to eat. They even spend  bit of time in the evenings, discussing the minutiae of spellworking symbols. His old job was for thermal magic, so not a lot of the skills transfer well to abjuration, academically speaking, but Jongin is always eager to learn. Sometimes they watch TV together, and sometimes they eat out with Jongdae and other friends, sometimes just the two of them. It’s nice. 

 

Kyungsoo finishes his second circle of the day and stretches his arms out, flexing his fingers.

"Jongin?" Kyungsoo asks, inclining his head to the finished work. Jongin hums, signalling that he's almost ready as well. They're following different lines of exclusion, meaning that they're more likely to find something that sticks more quickly. Kyungsoo waits the few minutes for Jongin to finish with his spell, before they both stand, taking their place either side of Kyungsoo's desk.

"Ready?" Kyungsoo asks, palms placed facing down on the paper, his fingertips just touching the outer perimeter of the spell. Jongin nods, hands down on the other side. Closing his eyes, Kyungsoo breathes in through his nose and lets his energy flow down his arms, into the spell. So used to failure, Kyungsoo almost gives up before the cast is really complete, but something catches. His eyes fly open, and he looks up at Jongin, who is already beaming at him.

"Did you feel that?" He gasps, looking down at the circle. It was faint, like broken velcro; catching but not holding for more than half a second. Indistinct, but definitely there.

"Does that mean...?" Jongin asks, eyes glittering with glee.

"Something worked. It worked. It  _ worked _ !" He lunges across the table, sweeping Jongin up in a hug and spinning him around. Jongin is too heavy for him to lift, so it just looks like they’re dancing. That’s ok, 

Kyungsoo feels like dancing anyway. Jongin’s hands rest on his waist, like he doesn’t know what else to do with them.

“Ah, sorry.” Kyungsoo snaps his head up, backing away.

“No, it’s ok. I’m all for sudden rewards like that.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but he can’t help laughing. 

This is only the first step- it didn't even fully  _ cast,  _ but this narrows everything down so much! They just need to focus their attention on a branch of variations now and things should, with a bit of luck, fall into place smoothly.

He runs his fingers through his hair and slumps down in his seat, giddy with pleasure.

“I can’t believe it.” He says, breath shaky. He can hardly stop smiling and neither can Jongin.  

“This is so great.” Jongin laughs. “What do we do now?”

“We keep going. After lunch, I mean. We-we’ll need to-” he rubs his face, thinking fast. He hadn’t expected this to happen so soon. “We’ll need to recast the spell a few times, to see where the flow stops, and then from there it’s a case of trying out similar spell compositions.”

“So it’s still going to take ages, huh?”

"Well, yeah. But we knew that." Kyungsoo sighs, "I'm more surprised that we got something to change so fast."

"You were suffering like that without anything working for… months?" Jongin shakes his head, awed by Kyungsoo's resilience. “I don’t think I would’ve held out this long. Anyway, we can carry on after we've eaten; we need to take a break anyway. Especially you."

"You've cast almost as many as I have, you've got to be feeling it as well." Kyungsoo scolds. Jongin pouts, gathering up his things in an orderly pile, with the un-cast spell of his at the top. He's caught the tidiness bug off Kyungsoo, much to his satisfaction. Although that doesn’t mean he cleans up his nest in the mornings, yet.

"I  _ am _ a bit tired." Admits Kyungsoo, begrudgingly.

"And starving, right?" Jongin asks, one eyebrow raised. Kyungsoo's about to deny it but his tummy growls, betraying him. Jongin snorts.

"C'mon, let's grab something. We're only a few minutes early." Jongin encourages, slinging his arm loosely around Kyungsoo's shoulders and leading him out into the cool corridor.

"Wait a second, I want to wait for Jongdae." Kyungsoo halts them, still wrapped in Jongin’s arm. "I want to share the news." He explains, when Jongin looks at him inquiringly. Jongdae will probably be ecstatic and he will also probably take some of the credit for making Kyungsoo hire Jongin, but that's just the way he is.

The first people to leave the office are two women that Kyungsoo hasn't been properly introduced to. They give both of them a funny look as they walk by, making Kyungsoo uncomfortable. He squirms a bit and Jongin drops his arm. He hadn't exactly meant for that to happen, but it helps his face return to a natural colour.

It doesn't take long for Jongdae to open the door after that, followed by Chanyeol as usual, and Joonmyeon. It looks like he's had a bad morning, but on seeing them his face brightens.

"Hey!" He greets, opening out his hands in greeting. "Were you waiting for us? Sorry about that."

"Slow day?" Kyungsoo asks sympathetically, biting his lip.

"A bit, yeah." Jongdae shrugs dismissively. "At least we're still doing better than you." He jokes elbowing him in the side. Now Kyungsoo feels like an asshole.

"Yeah," Joonmyeon jibes, "no one can be as unlucky as you." Ok, he doesn't feel like an asshole anymore.

"Well, actually, we had a breakthrough this morning." Kyungsoo mumbles, sending a dirty look in Joonmyeon’s direction.

"We finally had a spell work, sort of. It partially cast." Jongin grins.

"What, really?" Jongdae gasps. "You mean it was actually worth coming into work today?"

"It's worth it  _ every  _ day, if I hadn't been steadily getting through all the options, we would never have arrived at this one."

"Well, that's debatable." Joonmyeon interjects, teasingly. Kyungsoo shoves him as they pile into the elevator, which results in him accidentally pressing the wrong button. Joonmyeon tuts loudly and fixes their mistake.

"Debatable as it may be," Jongdae says, his announcer voice coming into play, "I think it deserves celebration. How does everyone feel about grabbing some drinks tonight?" Kyungsoo considers it; it would be fun, that's for sure. On the other hand, he hasn't been drunk in the vicinity of Jongin yet, and while he's not exactly the type to get wild. He doesn't 100% trust himself not to do something that ruins their relationship. He’s trying his best not to let Jongin’s flirtatious nature get to him, but it’s hard. It feels like there’s something else between them, more than just playful banter.

"Yeah, I'm down for that." Jongin nods eagerly, eyes sparkling. 

Well. 

How can Kyungsoo say no, now?

 

The rest of the afternoon is spent recasting the partially working spell and drawing it out with small variations, none of which work any better. Both of them are exhausted by the end of the day and Kyungsoo is sort of rethinking this night out; he can't exactly back out now since it’s held in their honour.

When Jongdae knocks on his office door, five minutes after they're officially allowed to clock out, butterflies invade his stomach.

"You ready to go?" Jongdae calls through the door. Kyungsoo scrambles to clear his belongings away, with some help from Jongin. The man is suddenly closer than he had expected, his face right next to his own. Holy shit.

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Jongin asks in quiet concern. He hadn't even realised that he had seemed like he was having second thoughts. Kyungsoo nods his head rapidly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Yeah." Kyungsoo hopes that's more convincing to Jongin than it sounds to him. Judging by the other man's face, it's not convincing at all. He smiles, trying to convey that he really does want to go. He likes spending time with everyone.

"Ok then." Jongin half smiles, eyes soft. "We don't have to stay out all evening. I know you're tired." He reminds him gently. Kyungsoo laughs breathily, the butterflies coming back in full force. How dare he be so considerate?

"Are you guys coming or what? We’re just waiting on you now, the others already came up here to see what’s taking so long." Jongdae peers around the door, causing Kyungsoo to jerk away away from Jongin, flustered.

"Yes, we're coming now, just give us a moment." He calls back, scrambling to grab his things. Jongdae, one eyebrow raised ominously, hums knowingly; he saw. At that revelation, Kyungsoo’s heart sinks. He's never going to hear the end of this now, not from him or anyone. Jongdae is going to gossip about this, even though there's nothing going on. Kyungsoo shoves his papers into his bag, no longer caring that they're going to get crumpled up, and darts out of his office, barely waiting for Jongin to keep up.

"Jongdae!" He stage whispers, dragging him off to the side. "Nothing is going on between us, you got that?" He stares into Jongdae's eyes intently, who only smiles angelically. 

"Sure, Kyungsoo. Nothing going on. I didn't say anything, but sure; I'll believe you." Kyungsoo scowls. He's just walking into Jongdae's trap, Kyungsoo's defensive reaction is doing more to convince him that he’s right.  _ Shit _ .

"So what's the plan, guys?" Wendy butts in, looking tiny standing between Chanyeol and Jongin. Jongdae raises his eyebrows in Kyungsoo's direction.

"I don't know. I feel like we should let Kyungsoo and Jongin choose, since this is all in their favour."

Jongin holds up his hands. "I don't know my way around bars here yet, don't look at me." In unison, everyone swivels their heads to look at Kyungsoo. He sweats under his clothing, avoiding Jongin's eyes.

"U-um. How about that place we went to last time?" He stammers.

"Oh yeah!" Chanyeol comes to his rescue, “by the way, I've invited Sehun, I hope that's ok?" He wonders shyly.

"Yeah, he's a good kid." Jongdae says, "I don't think anyone would mind having him around."

"I'll try to keep him away from political topics this time." Chanyeol laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

It's really a little early to be going to a bar, but Kyungsoo would rather get this over with sooner. If they wait too much longer, then they'll only end up staying out longer than is conducive for work the following morning; Kyungsoo doesn't fancy going into work with a hangover. He doesn't know how Jongin is with alcohol, but trying to wake him up after a night out sounds even worse than trying to wake himself up. He'll do his best to make sure they start heading home before midnight.

As a troupe, they all head down to the main lobby and find Sehun waiting for them, sat down on one of the seats this time, instead of out in the cold. Chanyeol must have told him to come inside after last time. When they all pile out of the elevator, he stands up to greet them, snuggling into Chanyeol's side when he holds his arm out for him.

"Hi guys!" Sehun exclaims, looking in particular at Kyungsoo and Jongdae, since they are the people he has actually met before. Introductions are made as they start walking, painfully slowly, out of the building and into the dimly sunlit evening. Kyungsoo trails behind everyone else, avoiding stepping in the others' elongated shadows. Jongin is up ahead, getting to know Sehun and probably suffering the same interrogation that the young man gave Kyungsoo, the first time they met. He seems like he's handling it well, though, from what he can see. He’s good at talking to people.

He turns his attention instead to his surroundings, enjoying the cool breeze that's so different to his stuffy, stale office room. The sun is reflecting off the windows, making him have to squint to see anything at all.

He feels more relaxed than he has in a long time, and it's because of Jongin, at least a little bit. Should he buy him a drink for his troubles? Or would that be improper, considering he's technically his employer. He's not going to overthink it; tonight he's just going to concentrate on enjoying himself.

"So how are you doing?" Wendy sidles up next to him. He shakes the last remnants of his daydreaming away before facing her. It takes him a moment to register what she said.

"Oh. I'm doing alright."

"Thanks to Jongin, right?" She says it teasingly, and he doesn't get the feeling that she's taking down notes to hold against him later on. Unlike Jongdae.

"Yeah." He agrees, staring at his back. "He's been really helpful, actually. More so than I would've thought."

"I'm happy for you. It's nice to see you like this; you've been so down lately, it’s hard to watch. It's not good for someone to have that much responsibility."

"I know, but Hyojung is doing something just as important. She’s working on an anti terrorist barrier, which I don’t envy at all. Psychologically rooted magic is a whole ‘nother can of worms."

"I find it hard to believe that you and Hyojung are the _only_ abjuration experts out there, shouldn't the government scout out some other specialists to create a team?" Wendy frowns, perplexed at the blatant inefficiency, "it's kind of a priority after all." Kyungsoo sighs, he’s had thoughts about this before and even raised some questions to his boss, but he only got a vague response from him.

"I don't know how the government works. I'm guessing they're pushing most of the money into offence and calling it defence." He shrugs, feeling a bit like the man who had to carry the world on his back.

"I don't know either." Wendy shakes her head, slightly deflated. There's no use in trying to figure out how the system works. She huffs, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, how much further is it to this bar?"

"Not too far now, I think." Kyungsoo says, craning his neck to see beyond Jongin's broad back. He hadn't really been paying attention last time and he hadn't left the venue entirely sober either.

As soon as Kyungsoo starts to ask Chanyeol where the bar is, they're swerving off to the side and Kyungsoo is starting to recognise the place. The bartender greets them with a curt smile as they all move en masse to the largest table in the room.

Either by accident, or by design, Kyungsoo ends up sat by Jongin on one of the wall seats. Kyungsoo spies some secretive looks passed between his colleagues that suggest it was less of an accident than it looks. He laces his fingers together on top of the table, then changes his mind to go buy himself a drink.

There's a twist of tension in his gut that comes from being close to Jongin while under the sharp eyes of his friends. They're going to be looking at every little gesture, every smile in his direction. He knows that they all think there's something going on between, so he needs to prove them wrong tonight. He's hardly going to even look at Jongin, they won't see anything between them. Not a thing. They're professional co-workers, nothing more. 

He pays for his drink and heads back to their table, the cold glass held tight in his hand. Kyungsoo returns just in time to hear Sehun addressing the entire table. He's already half sat on Chanyeol's lap, and he hasn't even had a single drink yet. Jongin stands up to let him back into his seat, between him and Sehun on his left.

"You know, I'm surprised that you don't watch those kinds of things." The student says earnestly.

"What kinds of things?" Kyungsoo asks, curious.

"Oh, those war movies set like, hundreds of years ago."

"What, where they use magic to save the day?" Kyungsoo snorts. If only it were as easy to win a war as it seemed in those movies. "Yeah, I can't watch those either. I spend too much time being annoyed at the inaccuracies of the spellcasting to really enjoy it."

"Me too." Jongdae agrees, nursing a bottle of dry cider.

"I've never had a problem with them, but I prefer horror movies, myself." Jongin says, shifting closer to get into the conversation. In doing so, he nudges Kyungsoo's leg under the table by accident. Instead of apologising, he catches Kyungsoo's eye for a brief moment, and doesn't even move it away. Kyungsoo takes a sip of his beer, clutching at the cold drink as if it will sap away the heat rushing to his cheeks.

Fuck. This is the exact opposite of ‘nothing’. He tries not to stiffen up too obviously. He's going to keep calm and pretend that this isn't happening.

"I can't watch horror movies." Kyungsoo says, grimacing. Next to him, Jongin mock gasps.

"You wound me!"

"Why can't you watch scary movies?" Sehun asks, eyebrows drawn together so there's a tiny line in between them. Kyungsoo shrugs.

“They’re so boring. I don’t get them.” 

“ _ What?! _ ” Jongin exclaims, “how can you say that? Death Dance is  _ not _ boring!” That must be his favourite. This is easier ground for Kyungsoo to navigate; playful bickering is easier to deal with than obvious flirting. If he can keep this up, then he’ll be fine.

“Is that the really predictable one where the girl goes to that vampire night club?”

“Not even close, that sounds like some kind of young adult romance.” Jongin looks so offended, Kyungsoo almost chokes on his drink. He raises his eyebrows, smirking behind the rim of his glass. “Death Dance is the one where this lady finds that she has a ton of murderer’s corpses from the dark ages buried in her basement.”

“Does it have any dancing in it?” Kyungsoo teases, almost spitting out his drink at the sight of Jongin’s gaping mouth.

“No, it does not.”

“Don’t you think the title is a bit misleading, then?”

“What is this slander.” He shakes his head, “that’s it. On our next day off we’re doing a horror movie marathon. I’m going to convert you for sure.”

“Good luck with that, Kyungsoo is stubborn as a mule.” Jongdae pipes up, “are you two still living together, by the way? I thought you were going to find somewhere else?” 

“Oh, yeah.” Jongin laughs uncomfortably as Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him. Kyungsoo has been meaning to ask about this as well. “Well, I had a look for some, but I hadn’t realised how expensive the apartments are here? I was going to ask Kyungsoo if I could stay longer at his place if I made some more contributions to bills and stuff.” Somehow Kyungsoo had known that was coming. He takes in a deep breath, feeling ambivalent about the whole situation.

“We can talk about it later.” He hedges, wanting both more time to think about it, and also to not have this conversation in front of everyone.

“Right.” Jongin says, clearly still uncomfortable. Jongdae looks like he wants to say something as well, but Kyungsoo glares daggers at him until he looks away, cowed. Crisis averted. Now to think of something else to say to direct the conversation elsewhere...

“Jongdae- how is little Jongdeok doing? His exams went fine, right?”

 

At some point during the night, Baekhyun had called for shots, claiming that they had to get hammered in order to properly celebrate. Kyungsoo hadn't entirely agreed with his logic, but had succumbed to taking two rounds with everyone anyway. Now his head is fuzzy, and he feels pleasantly buzzed as he rearranges the coasters on the table over and over. Jongdae is telling everyone about his latest disastrous date with a girl he met through some dating app, who turned out to be a snobby asshole. Sehun and Chanyeol are whispering to each other, giggling every so often. Kyungsoo wonders what they're talking about.

"-and she didn't even say  _ thank you _ !" Jongdae exclaims, throwing his hands up into the air. It's lucky that his drink is almost empty, otherwise it would have gone everywhere. His raised voice makes Kyungsoo look up in surprise, but as soon as he figures out what's going on, he focuses back on his coasters. He leans into Jongin's side, comfortable just listening to what's going on around him.

"No 'thank you'? After all that? Oh my god. I can't believe you even stuck around that long." Wendy says, shaking her head.

"What a bitch." Baekhyun agrees, consolatory, "you have the worst luck with dating."

"I know right." Jongdae whines, "I don't want to talk about her anymore, I want to hear some good news. Did you end up asking that girl out, in the end? What was her name? Seulgi?"

"I did, actually!" Wendy's smile takes up her entire face, "wait-" she says, rummaging in her bag for her phone, "I want to show you guys a picture of her. She's  _ so _ adorable." She flicks through some food photos, until she reaches a selfie she must have taken with her. Kyungsoo can't quite see it properly, but judging by the way Jongdae is gawping, she must be really pretty.

"So, was that your first date, then?" Baekhyun asks, "did you sleep with her yet?"

"No, and none of your business." Wendy replies, licking her lips.

"You slept with her, didn't you." Baekhyun says, wrinkling his face up smugly. Wendy shuts her eyes, and knocks back the remains of her cider, ignoring him. Baekhyun whoops,

"Wendy got laid!" He hollers, flinching away from the punch that comes his way a moment later. Wendy pretends to pummel Baekhyun and Jongdae squawks, caught between them. He covers his head and reaches out for Chanyeol and Sehun for help but they are in their own world. Jongin is just laughing.

Amused, Kyungsoo reaches for his drink and finds it to be empty. He lets the last few drops roll onto his tongue anyway, and pushes all the empty glasses into the middle of the table. 

Wow, now he really needs to go to the bathroom.

Jongin, next to Kyungsoo, is leaning with his elbows on the table, sort of completely blocking Kyungsoo's way. He hums to himself, leaning back and forth, but there really isn't any way to get around him. He hasn't had to get up since he bought his first drink, since Wendy and Jongdae had been kind enough to buy each round after that.

"Are you ok?" Jongin asks, concerned. Kyungsoo blushes at everyone now staring at him.

"Need to go pee." He explains sheepishly. Jongin's mouth falls open in understanding.

"Can you climb over?" Jongin asks, leaning back to let him pass. Kyungsoo squints, sure that there has to be another way of going about this, but Jongin just stares at him earnestly until Kyungsoo gives up. How drunk is Jongin? Kyungsoo hasn’t been keeping tabs on how many drinks he’s had, though he seems suspiciously sober. Or, at least, not as drunk as  _ Kyungsoo  _ is. The floor is unsteady beneath him as Kyungsoo stands up, adjusting his shirt a bit, and starts to step over Jongin's lap. 

It's a bit precarious. He wobbles and braces himself on the wall behind Jongin, hands either side of his head. Jongin's hands come up to to rest on his hips, his eyes wide. Kyungsoo takes in a shuddering breath. Jongin is so close and so, so attractive. Kyungsoo doesn’t usually let himself think things like that, but really, what’s the harm in admiring how pretty the other man’s lips are?

"Alright?" He asks softly. Kyungsoo looks to the side, ears burning, and scuttles off to the bathroom.

"Take him out for dinner first!" He hears Jongdae shout to his back as he escapes. He looks over his shoulder to scowl in the man’s direction, only to find him making crude hand gestures, while Jongin tries to stop him.

He shuts the door behind him and unzips his pants, facing a urinal. Emptying his bladder is a relief, but his mind is still clogged up with thoughts of Jongin. How his face looked when he was stood over him, one leg either side of his lap, how his eyelashes had fluttered minutely and....how his gaze had flicked to his mouth for just a moment. If Kyungsoo allowed himself to act on his impulses, he's sure that he could get Jongin in bed with him. He wants that so bad,  _ so bad _ , but he can't do that without ruining their work relationship. There's no question about it; Jongin constantly teases him, if he doesn’t want this then he’ll need to rethink his whole fucking life.

He zips himself back up, and washes his hands, resting his forehead on the cold mirror. He splashes some water on his face for good measure, to blast the images and sounds that his imagination is conjuring out of thin air. The coldness helps him get his head screwed on the right way, and distracts from the attention demanding throbbing between his legs.

Now he just has to get back out there and act like none of this happened. He rests his hands on the sink, counting to ten and breathes steadily until he’s positive that he’s got everything under control. When he thinks he’s ready to go back out, he peeks around the door and sneaks back to his seat. He thought he was being stealthy, but the moment he’s in view, Jongdae is waving at him.

“You took your time, you weren’t whacking off in there were you? You should have invited me.” He leers at Kyungsoo as he steps over Jongin again, the were-cat’s hands magnetically attracted to his waist again. “Or maybe you would prefer that hunk of man meat over there?” He makes an absurd ‘sexy’ face, and pretends to thrust his hips. 

Jongin is blatantly ignoring him, focused only on Kyungsoo as he slumps into his seat. His hand slips onto his knee, sending a flash of heat to his gut and rendering all the extra time he spent in the bathroom totally useless. He bites his lip and moves a little closer. That’s fine, right? He’s not having sex right there, just sitting next to him is fine. Right? He pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time. He tries to put his password in as well, but his fingers aren’t co-operating with him.

“Oh, Jongin, just like that, OH!” Baekhyun has a ketchup bottle and is giving it a graphic, saliva-y blowjob while Jongdae narrates. Wendy is losing her shit. Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to die, until Jongin’s hand moves a little further up and he squeezes his thigh lightly. Is it just him or is it suddenly extremely hot in here? Kyungsoo swears he’s about to spontaneously combust. 

He stands up, abruptly, and Baekhyun freezes.

“I gotta go.” Kyungsoo announces, climbing back over Jongin and pulling on his jacket, repeating himself over and over. 

“Whoa, Kyungsoo, we were only kidding!” Baekhyun slurs. 

“Yeah, are you guys that desperate right now?” Snickers Jongdae, unaware how close to the jackpot he hit with that question. 

Kyungsoo struggles with the sleeves at first, until someone takes the coat and helps him. Jongin’s eyes never leave his as he draws up the zipper. He walks Kyungsoo backwards, tossing a goodbye over his shoulder at the others; neither walking in a straight line. Kyungsoo can’t take his eyes off the way Jongin’s lips move to form the words. He can hardly breathe.

“I gotta go.” He whispers, dazed.

“I know.” Jongin nods, leaning in closer, secretive. Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter. Is he going to…?. “I’m taking you home with me.” He murmurs, his breath hot against Kyungsoo's skin. Home.  _ Bedroom _ . Right. Kyungsoo nods dumbly, mouth drying up.

“Remember to use protection!”

As they walk outside, to the whooping of their friends, Jongin's hand snakes around his waist, pulling him to his side. He appreciates the additional warmth as the cool outside air hits his skin. Kyungsoo heads straight for the side of the road, which is lined with taxis and opens the door to one. Jongin follows him inside, sitting as close as humanly possible, and it takes him a moment to remember where he lives.

As soon as the car is in motion, the knowledge that anything other than Jongin exists evaporates. Kyungsoo reaches over and runs his hand along the inside of Jongin's thigh, until his little finger is brushing his semi. Kyungsoo is spinning wildly out of control, but the sharp intake of breath his gesture provokes is worth it. The vehicle turns a corner, sending Kyungsoo swaying against Jongin. He looks up, locking eyes with the other man. Jongin’s dark brown eyes are so soft, but seem to convey exactly what he’s feeling. Kyungsoo’s breath hitches.

The only thing that stops them from closing the distance right then and there is the sound of the driver clearing his throat. Kyungsoo starts, pulling away and looking around him. Have they already arrived?

"That'll be four thousand won." The driver says, holding out his hand expectantly. Kyungsoo digs around in his pocket to find a few notes and tosses them to him, already scrambling to get out of the car, dragging Jongin behind him by the hand.

The journey to his floor passes by in a blur, and before Kyungsoo knows it, he's unlocking the front door, and tugging Jongin inside. The door shuts and instantly Jongin has Kyungsoo crowded up against it, their bodies pressed together. God, he wants him so bad. He lets his forehead rest on Kyungsoo's and Kyungsoo closes his eyes, cradling Jongin's jaw and pulling his head down so that their lips finally meet. The rest of the world, what little of it Kyungsoo was aware of, falls away in that moment. The only thing he cares about is Jongin’s mouth on his, and how he can feel more of his body against him.

Jongin moans, catching his lower lip between his own. Searing heat flows under Kyungsoo's skin. As if Jongin knows, he unzips Kyungsoo's jacket, pushing it over his shoulders and tugging it off his arms, never once breaking their kiss. The jacket lands on the floor, followed swiftly by Jongin's. The were-cat slips his fingers underneath Kyungsoo's t-shirt, pushing it up until his thumbs run over Kyungsoo's nipples. Kyungsoo gasps, breaking away to tear his t-shirt off.

"Bedroom." He orders, staring into Jongin's hooded eyes and willing him to understand. The man nods, ducking back in for another short, intense kiss, before leading them to Kyungsoo's room.


	3. Part 3

Kyungsoo's head hurts. He rubs his eyes to clear away some of the gluey gunk, and blearily assesses the situation. It's too hot and Kyungsoo feels gross. He groans and tries to roll over, but an arm slung across his waist blocks any movement.

Kyungsoo's eyes fly open as he cranes his neck to get a better look. Pasted to his back, is Jongin, asleep and gloriously shirtless. What the fuck. He struggles to take in a breath, a rising sense of panic flooding him. No. No, no no. This can't be happening. He peels back the covers and looks down at himself; he's only wearing boxers. Shit. Shit, shit,  _ shit _ .

Wiggling out of bed, without waking up Jongin, Kyungsoo grabs the nearest clothing he can find and rushes to the shower. The mirror shows his body, dotted with light pink hickeys. Most of them will be easy to cover up, but there's a few on his neck that will prove difficult.

Kyungsoo's mind races as he thinks through what happened last night, the memories coming to him in short, blurry flashes as he washes his hair. He remembers getting into the taxi with Jongin, kissing him in the doorway and going to their room. He remembers pulling Jongin into bed and kissing him some more. The slide of skin against skin. His face burns. So much for keeping a professional relationship. Kyungsoo lets his head drop back against the tiled wall, feeling like a colossal idiot. He should have known that something like this would happen.

The worst part is, he doesn't even regret it. Not exactly. The swirling in his stomach is guilt.

Sighing, he rinses out his hair and steps out of the shower. It's early, so Jongin probably won't wake up for a while yet, which leaves Kyungsoo a bit more time to process the situation he's in. There's time for him to somewhat sort out his feelings before they head off to work. Maybe.

Towel over his shoulders, Kyungsoo slinks out into the kitchen and brews himself some of his favourite tea, hoping it will calm him down a little.

He’s just going to have to apologise to Jongin. Kyungsoo doesn't have time for a relationship right now, there's no way around that. Even if they're living together, Kyungsoo just can't see how it would be viable. Not until after the spell is completed, or if the war suddenly ends. Or something.

He should have gone for a familiar that he wasn't attracted to, that wouldn't have been a distraction. He only has himself to blame for this. Why is he such an idiot? He should have stuck to non-alcoholic drinks, then he wouldn’t be in this mess.

Rubbing his forehead, he stirs his tea and sinks down into the sofa, flicking on the TV in hopes of some respite. It's already on a news station. Kyungsoo frowns, and is about to change the channel, when he sees the headlines. The discomfort in his stomach increases and he feels even worse; there was another attack last night. While he was out having fun with his friends and cavorting around with Jongin, people were hurting.  _ Dying _ .

Kyungsoo lets his head slump down and he tries to take steady breaths. This one was farther south than the last one, which means that somehow the Hanjurians are travelling past the border without being noticed. It's almost like they're mocking them, letting them know that they're coming for the Yeong Si soon.

It wasn't his fault. There's no logical way he could have prevented this. He knows that. Logically. The knowledge doesn't stop him from feeling at least a little bit responsible, however. The deaths of his countrymen weigh heavily on his mind.

The sound of Jongin stirring in his room makes him wince. Now for another uncomfortable situation.

"Kyungsoo?" Jongin calls out huskily. Kyungsoo inhales through his nose before replying.

"Out here." A moment later, Jongin is stumbling into the living room, clad in only his underwear. Kyungsoo looks him up and down, remembering how it felt to have his body against his the night before, and clenches his fist.

"Is everything ok?" Jongin asks, sitting heavily on the sofa next to Kyungsoo, who waits for him to catch up with what the news reporter is saying. Twelve injured, one dead.  "Oh."

"Yeah."

"You know this has nothing to do with you, right?" Jongin says, laying his warm hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder in comfort. Kyungsoo shakes his head.

"No. If I was working harder, maybe these people would still be alive."

"Kyungsoo....Don't think like that."

"How can I not?" Kyungsoo asks, dragging his hand through his hair. He bites down hard on his lip and thinks quickly. They have to start working twice as hard from here on out, in order to finish this damn spell as quick as possible. So that nobody else gets hurt.

"Jongin?" Kyungsoo starts weakly.

"Hm?" Jongin responds, his grip tightening minutely before releasing. Does he know what Kyungsoo is about to say? Kyungsoo feels sick. "About last night...." He trails off, the coward in him hoping that Jongin will understand what he's trying to say.

"... W-what about it?" Jongin says nervously.

"I think... I think we should carry on like it didn't happen. I-I'm sorry."

"What? Why?" Jongin asks, voice sounding small. "I mean, I kinda expected this, but.... why?"

"Jongin..." Kyungsoo sighs loudly, tearing himself up on the inside. Why is he making this more difficult than it needs to be?

"No, Kyungsoo. I get that you're the type of person to take things very seriously. I get that, I  _ do _ . But why can't you just let yourself have something for yourself? Or have I been misjudging how you feel towards me this entire time?"

Kyungsoo stays quiet. He wants to be selfish. However, he knows that if he lets himself do whatever he wants, then he'll be distracted from work. He'll feel even worse in the long run, when there are inevitably more attacks that could have been prevented. This is for the greater good.

"Fine." Jongin growls. The sofa raises as he leaves Kyungsoo looks up in time to see Jongin stalking out, ears flat against his head and tail rigid. Inside his chest, Kyungsoo's heart shrivels up. He rests his aching head in his hands, forcing back tears.

He fucked up.

 

They don't talk as they get ready to leave for work. Not a single word. Although the subway is busy, somehow they manage to keep their distance from each other the entire way. Kyungsoo almost wishes it were raining today, as that would match his feelings better. Unfortunately, the sky is clear and the sun is beautiful, which puts him in a foul mood by the time they reach the government building.

Outside the main entrance, a group of people in shorts and brightly crisp white shirts are protesting, probably in response to the attacks last night. They hold large signs with cleverly worded phrases, and one of them has a megaphone. He shouts things like 'If you want peace, we must fight for it!' and 'Victory comes at the price of war!'. At the mere sight of them, Kyungsoo is seething. He grits his teeth and storms past them, willing one of them to try and corner him, so he can give them a piece of his mind.

"Kyungsoo, wait!" Jongin manages to catch up with him before the elevator door closes. They aren't the only ones in there, which dissuades Jongin from trying to talk more. Kyungsoo will only snap at him if he does so anyway. He focuses on a particular spot on the floor and tries his best to calm down. Those people out there don't know the effort Kyungsoo and everyone else is putting in to try and finalise a solution to  _ protect  _ them. They don't understand that most of the Hanjurians don't want to fight either, that firing at their country will only cause more tragedy. How many innocent lives will be lost if they fire on Hanju? And then how many more will be lost when Zhao Ying retaliates? And when it becomes an ugly cycle of death. They should understand, but for some reason, they just don't.

The elevator door slides open and Kyungsoo stalks down the corridor to his office, Jongin almost having to jog to catch up. He slams his office door behind them.

"Kyungsoo-"

"Don't. I don't want to talk right now. Let's just get on with work." Kyungsoo pulls out his chair and opens his workbook. A clean page. Familiar territory. All he has to do is start with a circle.

He can do this. 

  
  


He can not, in fact, do this. He screwed up the first circle he drew, and the second. He knows that he needs to start again, to keep trying, but he's just sitting there, staring at the blank sheet of paper and willing it to draw itself. Normally at this stage, he would get up and walk around, to try and clear his head. But he doesn't want Jongin to know that there's something wrong. Is there something wrong with him? If he didn't know that it was nigh on impossible, he would have guessed that someone placed a curse on him.

Twenty minutes of agonised staring later, Kyungsoo forces himself to pick up his pen and start again. If he can draw out one - _ just one _ \- circle, by the time they can go for lunch, then it won't have been completely pointless. He takes it slow, letting his muscle memory take care of the sweeping curve of the outer ring, along with all its embellishments. The first symbols come more easily as well; they're the part they've been drawing the same since their success yesterday. It's after that that he starts to struggle; the last two times were because he messed up the symbol order, and because he just plain drew the symbol wrong. Rookie mistakes.

Things are looking better and Kyungsoo begins to almost feel good about it, until right at the last second when Jongin shifts in his chair, distracting him enough to make his penmanship jagged. He stares at the wayward line in disbelief. It's hardly even a millimeter out of place, but for a spell this dense and delicate, it matters. He screws up his eyes and breathes through his nose. He will not lash out at Jongin. He will  _ not _ . Kyungsoo needs to get away, he needs to get as far from this office, with the stifling tension and responsibilities as he can.

"I need to go to the bathroom." He announces, standing up,  chair screeching underneath him.

Jongin doesn't call out after him.

Kyungsoo doesn't even know where he's going, his feet carrying him somewhere that he's never been to before. He climbs the stairs, glad to have some way of wearing out his frustrated energy, and comes out onto the roof. It's windy up here and the cold gusts of air seem to wick away his anger, until there's just a mild buzz of irritation and disappointment left. He drags his feet to a dark corner, behind some unidentifiable boxes, and crouches there.

He's making a bigger deal out of this than he needs to. If he were smart, he would just let this run off him, like water off an umbrella, and move on.

He enjoyed last night. Well, as much of it that he can fully remember. He knows that he would deeply love to be something more than friends, but he doesn’t think he can juggle both this intensity of work  _ and  _ a relationship as well. In a relationship, he’d have to go on dates and spend time with Jongin. He supposes he already does spend a lot of time with Jongin, but that’s not the same. Working in the same place isn’t the same as a date, no matter how he looks at it.  Even if he changes his mind and decides to pursue whatever this is with Jongin, he’s royally fucked up his chances now. Would Jongin even want that, anyway? There was attraction, sure, but maybe Jongin just wanted to sleep with him and get it over with. Maybe Kyungsoo is blowing this all way out of proportion. He just needs to stay calm, and carry on like nothing happened, just like he told Jongin. Things will be fine.He’s his familiar and, provided he doesn’t quit because of this, which is a very real possibility, then they should be able to pick up where they left of. He’s a professional. People do this all the time, right?

It takes a while of staring up at the sky for him to fully calm down. Letting his head drop back onto the concrete wall behind him, he wonders how much longer he's going to keep acting like a child.

Kyungsoo admires the view, watching the tiny people moving below wistfully. If only he could be one of them, and someone else could switch places with him. It would be easier, that's for sure. God, how whiny does he sound?

His stomach growls. He should probably go down and get something to eat, then get back to the daily grind. Even though he tells himself this, he doesn't move. If his boss finds out about this, he could get severely reprimanded, but that's not a priority right now; there's no use forcing himself to make the same mistakes over and over.

"Kyungsoo?" The sound of his own name puts Kyungsoo on edge. He may have almost sorted through his thoughts, but that doesn't mean he's ready to face Jongin just yet. He freezes, listening carefully to hear what he does. The door closes and- Kyungsoo hears footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Kyungsoo, you here?" Jongin calls out again, closer now. The words get stuck in his throat and when Jongin turns the corner, the look of surprise on his face is evident. Kyungsoo feels like a kid caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. 

"There you are." He says, barely audible above the wind. Kyungsoo smiles wanly and looks away. He has no idea what to say.

Jongin moves to sit next to him, but leaves a decent amount of space between them. Space that Kyungsoo wishes wasn't there, but knows is for the better.

"We were getting worried. You've been gone almost two hours, so I started to look around for you. You missed lunch break, so I brought you a sandwich." He holds it out like a peace offering.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo rips open the packaging and digs in. Jongin lets him eat without interrupting, for which Kyungsoo is grateful, but it's uncomfortable having an audience. When he's finished, they sit together in silence for a little while, appreciating their vantage point.

"I told the others not to say anything."

"Oh." Kyungsoo cringes. In all honesty, he hadn't even thought about what they might say. The hickey on his neck is still clearly visible and Kyungsoo reaches up to cover it with his hand, self conscious. "Thank you."

"No problem." Jongin says, a sad sort of smile on his face, "I gave it some thought, while you were gone. I just wanted to say that I get where you're coming from. I know the kind of person you are: you’re absurdly dedicated and single minded. I admire that about you. But I know that you don't have room in your consciousness for a relationship at the moment, so I'll back off. I won't try and push you. I'm sorry about this morning, too. I should have been more considerate."

His apology just makes him feel even worse. Why is Jongin such a genuinely nice person? If it were the other way around, Kyungsoo would probably be bitter. He definitely wouldn’t  _ apologise _ .

"For this spell to be perfected, we need to work as a team." Jongin says, with steely determination, "we can't do that if we're fighting, though. What do you say we put this behind us, huh? Pretend it never happened at all, and go back to only being a- a wizard and his familiar. And maybe, still friends?"

Kyungsoo is silent. Does he want to go back to before? What he  _ wants _ is for there to be a third option; where the war is already over and Kyungsoo doesn't feel the crushing pressure to produce results. Where he can date Jongin peacefully. But in the absence of that, Jongin's offer is the best he's got. All he can really do now is push all of his efforts into his work, which is the way it was meant to be anyway.

He nods, deflated. “I think that would be best.”  It's like all the pent up energy has flown out of him, leaving him feeling drained and exhausted. Well, he's had long enough of a break. He can't in good conscience stay up here any longer, not when there's variations to test out.

"Alright, time to get back to business." Kyungsoo says, grunting as he gets up. Without thinking, he holds out a hand for Jongin and helps him up. He likes how his hands feel in his, but now is the wrong time to be thinking that. He'll need to be more careful with those kinds of thoughts in the future, Kyungsoo thinks, wiggling his fingers to rid himself of the ghost of Jongin's touch.

"Did you get much done while I was gone?" Kyungsoo asks sheepishly as they start to head down the stairs.

"Only one more, before I went to lunch." Jongin says.

"Ok. I'll try to do as much as I can, before we go home." Kyungsoo tries to sound upbeat, hoping his tone of voice will inspire him to work harder.

"Ah, about that…  actually I'll be going out with Jongdae tonight."

"Oh." Kyungsoo reigns in his stupid, selfish desire to tell him not to go, "I see. Well, I can let you in if you get back before midnight. If not, I'll leave a key out for you somewhere."

"We're only going to watch a movie, so I don't think I'll be very late." Jongin says, with some breezy laughter. "We thought about inviting you too, but Jongdae reminded me that you hate horror movies. I mean, you can still come if you  _ want  _ to! I just thought..."

"No, it's ok." Kyungsoo says firmly. This is fine; he can stay later and make up for all the mishaps from this morning. This is good.

"You sure?" Jongin doesn't sound convinced.

"Of course I'm sure." Kyungsoo nods jovially. He tries to believe it.

 

Kyungsoo's phone rings, in his coat pocket, which is hanging behind the door. He looks up in shock and has to reorient himself. Jongin had left some time ago to watch that movie with Jongdae; it had 'teeth' in the title and Kyungsoo definitely isn't interested in seeing a bunch of false dentures flying around everywhere. The phone continues to ring and Kyungsoo shakes himself out of his stupor. Could it be Jongin? It's not  _ that  _ late, surely he can't be wanting to get into the house yet.

His head spins a little as he stands up. He waits for that to clear before making his way over to his phone, just managing to catch it before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello?" He asks, expecting a male voice, but what comes through is anything but.

"Kyungsoo, darling?"

"Mum?" Kyungsoo frowns, "what are you calling for, is everything ok?"

"Yes, yes, everything's fine."

"Really?" Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. His mother doesn't call very often and isn't really the type to beat around the bush.

"Does there have to be something wrong for me to want to talk to my youngest son?"

"No, I guess not." Kyungsoo grumbles, making his way back to his seat before his legs give way. This was probably a good time for him to be distracted, otherwise he might not have been able to make it home without calling a taxi.

"How is everything with you, dear?" His mother asks, an edge of worry to her voice, "I hope you aren't overworking yourself, I know what you're like."

"I'm fine mum." He lies, "I got myself an assistant, actually. It's making things a lot easier."

"An assistant? Who had to threaten you in order for you to hire one of those?" She jokes, not realising how close to the truth she is. He chuckles.

"I had to be...  _ convinced _ , it's true, but he's a good worker. He's making things easier."

"Then I'm glad to hear it. What's he like, this assistant of yours?"

"He's....” Gorgeous? Wonderful? Funny? Clever? Kind? “He's really nice. A were-cat, so he's better at helping me cast the spells than a human would be. That was Jongdae's recommendation."

"Ohh, a were-cat, huh? Have you seen him transform?"

"No, I haven't. I don't think he has the energy at the moment, even if he wanted to. Besides, I wouldn't want to ask him, it would make things weird." Or, weirder than they already are. 

"That's a pity, I hear it's an incredible thing to see."

"I don't know, I've seen transformations on the TV. I don't think it's anything earth-shattering."

"You can be such a downer when you want to be." She scolds, while he laughs, "anyway, this is besides the point; I wanted to know what you thought about me going on holiday. I had been planning to go abroad for a while, before this whole war business started up, and I was hoping to still go. Do you think the war is going to mess up my plans? I don't think your father and I could handle too much stress."

"Where were you thinking of going?" Kyungsoo frowns, thinking of all the extra security that will have been put in place now. It will be stressful, there's no doubt about it.

"We were thinking of Godong, one of the islands off the south coast. Will it be safe? I've been watching the news and they've been saying that Hanjurian submarines have been spotted near there." Kyungsoo can picture her clutching the phone receiver to her ear, fingers tightly clenched around the device as she frets.

"I think it will be fine. Godong is a pretty small island, I don't think that they'll want to target a beach town, not when the majority of magic is cast in the cities. Relax- if you want me to look into it a bit more for you, I can do." He offers. "Would that make you rest easier?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful." She says. "But does that mean that they're more likely to target Yeong Si?! Kyungsoo, are you sure you're going to be safe where you are? Maybe you should come home for a while, until it's safer."

"Mum, I'll be fine. I can't come home, I have to work on this spell. I've told you about it before, right? As soon as I can get it to work, we can distribute it throughout the larger cities and we'll be able to block any attacks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I've read all of the historical documents on it and tested it out in its original form. It's going to be fine, mum. I promise." He tries to be soothing, but he probably sounds so tired that it isn't very convincing. His mother hums.

"Well… alright then. But the moment you don't feel safe there, you come back home, understand? I don't want you in the city when you could be killed any minute."

"I promise, mum." He reassures her. He doesn't say that he could just as likely be killed by any random stranger wanting his money. "I'll look into Godong for you when I get home, alright?"

"What do you mean 'when you get home'?" She asks sharply. "Are you still at work?"

"I am." Kyungsoo sighs, not wanting to relive the drama of the past day. "But I'm fine, I promise. What have you and dad been up to?" He asks, settling back into his seat and rubbing at his forehead. It's a struggle to concentrate on everything she's saying, but he makes the effort. Once she's hung up, he'll start making his way back home and get some sleep. If his favourite tea shop is still open at this time, he'll stop by and get some jasmine tea. 

"If you say so." She let's it go, albeit begrudgingly, and hums, "where do I begin?" There's a smile evident in her voice that Kyungsoo can see in his mind's eye. He shakes his head indulgently, preparing himself to catch up on all of the neighbourhood gossip he's missed out on. He listens to all of the complaints, and compliments of her friends; humming and asking questions where necessary. 

"Recently, your father thought it would be a good idea to buy a wood lathe. He's been stuck in the shed dawn til dusk, making wooden bowls and as much mess as he possibly can."

"Oh?" Kyungsoo snorts through his nose. His dad cycles through obsessions; every few months he has something else that he works on until he's tired of it.

"He's adamant that he'll be making perfect bowls any day now. You definitely get your single-minded determination from that man. In the meantime, he has a growing mountain of cracked bits of wood."

"When he finally makes one, tell him I'll buy it off him." He says, smiling at the thought of his dad working as hard as he is.

"He'll be happy to hear that, sweetheart."

"I'll be happy to have one in my room." He laughs, "is he there right now? "

"He's still in the shed. I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree."

"Of course he is." Kyungsoo smiles fondly, emotional all of a sudden. He misses his parents more than he realised. He should try and make time to go and visit them. He bites his lip, a thought coming to mind.

"Mum... do you find it hard being married to dad? Since he's always so busy?"

"It’s difficult… sometimes. Your dad always seems to forget about everything, except what he's doing right at that moment; but it's the moments he comes back to me that are the best. He puts his whole being into everything he does, so he doesn't love half-heartedly either. You and your dad are both 'all or nothing' kinds of people. Where is this coming from?"

"Thank you." Kyungsoo murmurs, sniffling.

"Kyungsoo, dear, is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, mum, I'm fine." He wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve. Maybe, just maybe, if Jongin can wait, then he can be with him once this spell is done. Jongin deserves his full attention.

"Alright." She says, "well, it's getting late, isn't it? And you're still at work. You should go home and get some rest, alright dear? Have you eaten yet? I should come up and cook for you sometime, make sure you’re getting enough to eat. I hope you haven't lost too much weight, it must be terribly stressful working there."

"That would be wonderful, mum." He says, "but you're right, I should start heading home. It was lovely to hear from you! I need to be better at keeping in contact with you."

"Are you off now then?"

"Yes." Kyungsoo says, feeling a bit more energised for the walk to the subway than he was twenty minutes ago. "I'll call you again soon, ok?"

"Is that a promise?" His mother teases, "I'll be waiting to hear from you, then. Goodbye."

"Bye, mum." He says, hanging up his phone. Without her voice in his ear, the room feels lonely again. He takes in a breath, feeling fragile still, but optimistic. He's had a hell of a day, but he's strong and he can make it through.

 

Kyungsoo is just in time to get his jasmine tea before the shop closes, and only because the owner recognises his most loyal customer. He thanks the old man at least eight times before he leaves, cradling the cup in his hands to absorb its warmth. This evening makes him feel strangely nostalgic; it hasn't even been a month since Jongin has been living with him, but it seems he has become used to having Jongin around, snoozing on his shoulder during the short subway ride and making cheeky remarks. As he sips his tea, he compiles a list of things he still needs to do.

He has to talk to Jongin about rent, or bills contribution. That shouldn't be too hard a conversation though, compared to earlier that day. He needs to buy some groceries, but for tonight he'll pick up some takeout on the way home. He should probably try and put some energy tonight into either drawing out some more circles, so he can cast them tomorrow, or into figuring out what keeps blocking the spell's progress. The source of the blockage still remains a mystery to both of them.

He also has to clean up the house; it's getting messy. He isn't sure how much of this he will be able to get done tonight, but just knowing what he needs to do is reassuring.

The escalator takes him up onto ground level again. He walks slowly home, and Kyungsoo keeps his eyes peeled for whatever food place takes his fancy. He ends up with noodles and pork, already eating it straight out of the box before he's even left the store. It burns his tongue, but he's ravenous enough not to care.

He absently climbs the steps to his apartment, wondering what Jongin is doing, since he hasn't called or texted yet. He should really have given him a key; he can organise that during their rent discussion.

He rounds the corner to his door and squints into the darkness; there's a dark blob sitting outside. At first, he thinks it’s a bin bag, filled with a neighbours rubbish, but on closer inspection-

"Jongin?!"

"Kyungsoo!" The man jolts, scrambling up quickly.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were out with Jongdae."

"I was. The movie finished. I got back a little while ago." Something about the cadence of his voice makes him think he's lying. Kyungsoo looks him up and down, noticing how his fingers are pale and shaking. His tail is tucked between his legs, rather than straight out behind him. Kyungsoo's eyebrows draw together, he's clearly been waiting a long time. Why didn't he say anything? He could have called and Kyungsoo would have hurried home.He stands there, gaping at him, for too long.

"Shall we go in?" Jongin asks, pointing his thumb behind him. Kyungsoo nods slowly, unlocking the door and letting Jongin inside. He immediately makes a beeline for the kettle, intent on making himself a hot chocolate to warm himself up.

"Was your movie good?" Kyungsoo asks politely.

"Yeah." Jongin hums, "I enjoyed it. It wasn't as good as the first one though."

"It was a sequel?" Kyungsoo goes to turn on the TV, then changes his mind. He doesn't want to see more detailed reports of last nights attack and he's not in the mood for mindless reality shows today. He sits down heavily on the part of the sofa that  _ isn't  _ on the floor, thanks to Jongin’s odd sleeping habits.

"Yep. It was very gorey, but even though it had a higher budget, something about it seemed...fake-er than last time. You would have hated it."

"I don't know." Kyungsoo shrugs. Maybe he would have enjoyed it by proxy of having Jongin with him… and Jongdae of course. But yeah, he probably would have hated it.

"Are you only just now getting home from work?" Jongin asks, stirring his hot chocolate, "it's almost eleven."

"Yeah." Kyungsoo shifts under Jongin's accusatory look, "I was talking with my mum for a while, she called me out of the blue." He says, defensive.

"Even so, that's a lot of strain if you were casting as well. Are you going to be ok tomorrow?"

"I'll be fine. You're starting to sound like her. My mum, I mean."

Jongin doesn't reply to that, setting his mug down and leaning on the counter broodingly. Kyungsoo continues to eat and a silence settles over the room. Kyungsoo is terrifically aware of Jongin's eyes on him, so he avoids his gaze, paying extra special attention to each mouthful of his food. If he looks up, he knows he'll get an eyeful of Jongin's long legs. He's already caught a glimpse; it's almost as though he's deliberately posing that way to show off his best angles.

"I don't think you've ever told me much about your family.” Jongin says, out of the blue, “do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, one older brother. He's a theatre stage hand, so he travels a lot."

"That's pretty cool." Jongin nods pensively.

"Yeah, sometimes I get selfies of him with some musical actress, who I've never heard of. But he gets really excited about them."

"Aww." Jongin coos.

"What about you? You have a sister right?" Kyungsoo tries to remember their past conversations.

"Two, both of them are older than me. One is running a coffee shop back home with her husband, and the other is trying to adopt as many kittens as she can fit into her house. She says it's her duty as a were-cat, we all know she's just a crazy cat lady, though. Figuratively and literally. Her daughter is adorable too."

"She sounds pretty funny, I'd love to meet them all some day."

"I'd like that too." Jongin murmurs, looking at him strangely. Kyungsoo's breathing catches in his throat and he almost chokes on the last of the noodles. 

“I, uh… I didn’t know you had a niece.”

“I’ve been told that I talk about her too much, so I’ve been training myself not to.” Jongin smiles tiredly.

“Aw. You don’t need to do that, I’m sure she’s adorable.” 

“I’ll show you some pictures some time. She’s a sweetheart.” He says quietly. The silence stretches on a little too long and that discomfort creeps up on him, as Kyungsoo tries to think of something to say. His tired brain is not helping his case.

"I should really... get ready for bed." Kyungsoo says, not making a move to get up. “Oh, actually before I go, we need to discuss rent.”

“Can we do it tomorrow? The details I mean. I’m totally happy to pay, though, don’t get me wrong. Just a bit… tired.”

“Sure. Me too.” Kyungsoo nods. Tomorrow, “um. Goodnight." He manages to force out, heading to the bathroom to wash up. He thinks he hears a sigh from behind him, but he can't be sure. 

 

The morning starts as lacklustre as Kyungsoo feels. He dresses himself like a zombie, eats like a zombie and wanders into work, with Jongin in tow, like a zombie. Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea to stay so late yesterday, but he has to start getting back into the swing of things. After picking up a cup of his favourite tea, he perks up a little bit, but still feels bodily exhausted.

During breakfast, he and Jongin had been cordial, but not more than that. Though, that could have been due to Zombie-Soo.

Work seems to drag on excruciatingly slowly, as Kyungsoo meticulously draws out each circle. He only casts one, since Jongin insists on letting him rest after yesterday. Maybe he will push it more after lunch when he's gained a bit more energy.

He feels comfortable like this, or at least, not  _ uncomfortable _ .

When the time rolls around to lunch, there's a knock on their door; it's Jongdae, peering inside warily.

"Guys?" He says, looking specifically at Kyungsoo, as if trying to see if something is different. What with his little stunt on the roof yesterday, Kyungsoo can't quite bring himself to meet his eyes. In retrospect, it all feels so childish and it's embarrassing to have Jongdae worrying about him.

"You look like shit." Jongdae comments, as Kyungsoo and Jongin head outside.

"Thanks." Kyungsoo says dryly. He knows he has eyebags the size of Geunto.

"You're welcome. Chanyeol already went ahead to the cafeteria, something about wanting to be early for food today, I dunno."

"I need the toilet, I'll catch up with you guys in a minute." Jongin says, already a few paces behind them.

"Ok, we might save a spot for you, we might not. Have fun without me!" Jongdae says. Jongin flips him off and goes into the men’s toilets, not looking back when Jongdae loudly reprimands him for inappropriate conduct. Kyungsoo manages to crack a smile at their familiarity.

"Alright," Jongdae starts, when Jongin is out of earshot, "what the hell happened yesterday?" He pushes the button for the elevator and folds his arms. Kyungsoo winces, knowing that having Jongdae let him off the hook was too much to wish for.

"I spoke to Jongin, but he wouldn't tell me much. Did you guys fuck or what?"

"I-I... We… uhh..." Kyungsoo looks at the floor, studying the pale grain of the floorboards. Jongdae raises an eyebrow, not letting up even once they get into the elevator. "We sort of… did? But then-"

"But then you freaked out, I'm guessing?"

"No…?" Kyungsoo lies, to which Jongdae sighs loudly, "I don't have the presence of mind for a relationship right now, there isn't time." Kyungsoo defends himself, tetchily.

"I don't agree with you, but sure. I know what you're like when it comes to projects." Jongdae frowns, "I feel bad for Jongin, though."

"So do I." Kyungsoo's stomach sinks; in all the drama, he hadn't really stopped to fully consider how the other man must be feeling. Upset, obviously, but Kyungsoo led him on and practically tossed him away. It's a testament to the were-cat's understanding nature, that he can even stand to be in the same room as him at the moment.

“Sometimes I wonder if you chose abjuration because you like building walls around yourself.”

“Jongdae.” Kyungsoo mumbles, annoyed.

“Too poetic?” Jongdae half laughs.  _ More like too close to the truth _ , Kyungsoo thinks. “Sorry. Is he still staying with you? That could cause problems in the future."

"He is, at the moment. He doesn't seem to want to leave and it's not so much of a big deal that I feel the need to kick him out."

"I wasn’t really thinking if it bothers you, since I feel more bad for him in this situation. I’m surprised he didn’t quit. I feel like this might come back to bite you in the ass, but whatever." Jongdae shakes his head, "it's up to you guys, I guess. This is a pretty unusual situation. Are you still working together ok?"

"So far, yeah. We kinda agreed to carry on like nothing happened. Had a casual conversation about rent." Kyungsoo says, stepping out the elevator and leading the way to the cafeteria queue.

“Don’t you think you’re being selfish though?” Asks Jongdae, much to the Kyungsoo’s chagrin, “no, listen to me first. I get it, you’re a workaholic. You don’t want any relationship until the war is over,  but don’t you think Jongin has his own family that will get affected too?” At this, Kyungsoo is reminded of Jongin’s niece and makes to interrupt.

“But-” he starts indignantly, however Jongdae will have none of it.

“When the war ends, you think you’re going to decide to date him? You’re kind of expecting him to wait on you? Plus, we work for the government. After the war, there’ll be some other stupid shit we’ll work on, like some outbreak of disease, then you’re going to keep him hanging? Again?”

“Look! I get it, but we  _ both _ agreed that work is important right now. Jongin told me that we need to work as a team, we’re keeping it professional.” Comes Kyungsoo response. Everything that Jongdae said in his rant, was right. He just, doesn’t want to think about how selfish he is being right now. 

"Well, in that case. I think you're both kinda stupid, especially  _ you _ , but I don't want to get too involved. I hope you both can figure it out, whatever it is. Jongin is a nice guy and he'd probably be good for you to have around."

"Thank you? I think." Kyungsoo frowns, unsure whether that was encouraging or not.

"Alright." Jongdae slaps his back lightly, before turning to the woman serving, turning on his usual charm. She ignores him, as she always does, telling him the price of the meal he's chosen in a deadpan voice. 

As it turns out, they don't need to go through the harrowing process of finding an empty table; Chanyeol has already found one. He waves to them, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Jongdae sits opposite him, and Kyungsoo to the side. Jongdae doesn't look too happy with him still.

"Did you see the news this morning?" Chanyeol asks to no one in particular. He seems to have sensed that there’s a disagreement of some sort, and probably already knows the reason for it. Kyungsoo shakes his head.

"The economy is changing or something." Chanyeol informs him.

"What's so interesting about that?" Jongdae asks, ripping into his meal.

"Well, it’s just that the prices of certain foods and things, like soybeans? are increasing. Experts say that they predicted that loads of things are going to get way more expensive in the coming months."

"Why?" Kyungsoo frowns.

"Because they're all things that we get imported from Hanju." Chanyeol explains, "They're withholding them from us or something."

"Well, they probably can't get anything past the border checks, even if they wanted to." Jongdae muses.

"What's this about border checks?" Jongin asks, seating himself opposite Kyungsoo. His long legs invade Kyungsoo’s personal space, "is someone trying to smuggle something into the country?"

"Only a Hanjurian spell caster." Jongdae jokes, "no but seriously, we were talking about how things we normally import from there are getting more expensive."

"Huh." Jongin frowns, "you think they might introduce rations for us?"

"I don't know." Chanyeol says, "they might do? Not yet though."

"No, I don't think they'll start doing that for a long time." Kyungsoo says, "not until the situation gets really dire. We can still get most stuff, just in a more limited supply. Even if we stop trading with Hanju, there are still other countries."

"That's what the guy said." Chanyeol nods, "it kinda sucks; one of the things on the list is oranges and I really like those. I don't wanna have to spend loads of money on them."

"Well if that's the case, you might want to try switching to locally grown, organic vegan peaches." Jongdae makes finger guns at him, making fun of him. Chanyeol makes a face. This seems to be a continuation of an earlier joke, that Kyungsoo doesn't get. He raises an eyebrow at Jongdae, but he just waves the joke away.

"I'll just pay for oranges, it's not that big a deal." Chanyeol gripes, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Are you sure you can afford that?" Jongdae snorts.

"I can pay for an  _ orange _ , I'm not that broke." Chanyeol flushes red, defensive.

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to one of us." Jongin says, eyebrows raised. Chanyeol flushes even harder at the honesty in his face, hiding behind his sandwich.

"I'm fine. Thank you, though." He mumbles. Kyungsoo smirks, making a mental note to take him out for food some time, when he  _ has _ time.

"If you're sure." Jongin smiles, mouth full of chicken wings. He somehow makes it look charming.

 

The rest of the day passes similarly to the morning and the day before; lacklustre. Kyungsoo manages to get Jongin to stay an hour later doing overtime work, but Jongin almost bodily drags Kyungsoo home. Kyungsoo isn't sure whether he appreciates the gesture or not. Once they get home, he locks himself in his bedroom, opens his workbook and flicks through all the variables that he's already tried. 

Something just doesn't add up. After that minor success, they've just been continuing on, repeating the successful part and changing up the other bits. Maybe they’re wrong, maybe they should be looking to deconstruct the entire thing and look at each symbol. He stares at them all, reading through some of the reports he wrote on the older ones. Most of them say 'failure' and not much else.

His university professor used to say 'magic is stupid and it won't work unless you tell it exactly what to do.’ She encouraged them to look deeper into the inner workings of the spells they cast, rather than just copying them out. She would probably be disappointed in Kyungsoo, because he hasn't put all that much effort into that side of things. He just trusted that the computer program would spit up The One; that he would find it eventually if he kept at it. He scowls, looking at the circle, at the over-two-hundred symbols that make up the spell, and feels a lick of frustration in his chest. Has he really wasted over three months of research with this come-what-may method? He has to pull up his proverbial socks and figure this out before more damage is done.

He gets out a mechanical pencil and a ruler and starts to annotate the spell, drawing thin lines to each component until the page is riddled with writing. 

It's so complicated and it still isn't quite making sense. He can see the part that's causing the problem, but not _how_ _to fix it_. It makes him want to tear his hair out. He starts on the next one, deciding to do the same for as many as he can, until he can see a pattern; maybe something will jump out at him when he does. He goes to sleep that night with sore eyes and a headache.

 

This becomes a routine. Kyungsoo wakes up, wakes Jongin up, they go into work and spend all day drawing new spells together. He eats lunch quickly, then more spell drawing. Kyungsoo and Jongin head home, Kyungsoo locks himself in his room, annotating and analysing everything he can think of. It doesn't seem to help much, but at least he's trying. He'll find something soon, he's sure of it.

 

He gets used to feeling tired all the time again, like he did before Jongin came, and ignores all the worried looks his friends send him. Jongin spends most evenings either on his laptop, sometimes video calling his family, or out with Jongdae and Baekhyun. Sometimes friends from his hometown come to visit. If he's not out, Kyungsoo can find him watching TV on the sofa-nest. They share looks and pleasantries, but not much else, unless they eat dinner together. Jongin is pretty good at getting him to talk, but he needs to concentrate on the spell. He hates himself for being such a downer all the time, and finds himself apologising constantly to Jongin, for not being around in the evenings. Jongin tries to drag him out, but Kyungsoo insists that he should go out and have fun without him. He doesn’t want to make him feel obligated to do as much as him, when he’s already working so hard during normal shift hours, plus overtime.

Kyungsoo knows he can do this, if he can just... _ figure this out _ .

 

Every time there's news of another threat, or anything to do with Hanju, Kyungsoo takes it like a blow to the stomach. Another assault to border security comes with another attack, this time a city a few hours north west of the capital, inching closer and closer. Kyungsoo regularly sees armed guards wandering around the city now, when there was never any need for them before, all of them equipped with guns and circles on their back to protect them from gunfire. They stand guard at the entrances to subway stations, patrolling the platforms, eyes roving over the crowds in case they spy any suspicious activity. Kyungsoo keeps his head down as he and Jongin board the trains, keeping his laptop bag close to him. He feels more on edge now than before. Everyone is convinced that there will be another attack any day now. Rumours of Hanjurian spies are everywhere, stories of plane hijackings and underground sects of terrorists passed around like a disease.

 

As usual for this time of evening, Kyungsoo is sat on his bed, slumped over a pile of papers, chewing on his mechanical pencil. His brain is fried right now, so there isn't a great deal going on in there. The symbols and words are swimming on the page before him, swirling together and Kyungsoo is  _ this _ close to tossing it all off the side of the bed in a temper tantrum.

A knock on his door makes him jump.

"Kyungsoo?" Jongin bangs on the door again. Kyungsoo looks up, rubbing his eyes. What the hell is this? "I know you can hear me. Jongdae says he's calling an intervention."

Jongdae called? He didn't even hear the phone ring. Was he that caught up? He shakes his head and clears his throat.

"What does he mean by that?" He asks, slowly getting up and stretching out his back. It clicks as he arches it, making him wince. When he opens the door, Jongin looks him up and down, surprised at how dishevelled he looks. He's still holding the phone, so Jongdae might still be on the line. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, grouchy.

"He says he wants both of us to dress nice and meet them outside the subway on main street."

"What the hell for?" He snaps. He isn't in the mood for this. Jongin raises his eyebrows.

"He didn't say."

"I'm not going." Jongdae means well, but he should know that dragging him away isn't going to help him finalise the goddamn spell.

"He said you'd say that, and told me that I should use whatever means necessary." Kyungsoo frowns, backing away from him a little, hand on the door in case Jongin tries anything funny.

"He said that he would tell me the 'With You Karaoke' story, whatever that means." Jongin shrugs. Kyungsoo winces, thinking back to that time. Jongdae swore he hadn't taken any photos, but he just can't be sure; he never said anything about videos. This is Jongdae he's talking about. Despite everything, he still cares about Jongin’s opinion of him, although it can’t be great at the moment. He sags, shutting the door in Jongin's face.

"I'll be out in five minutes."

"Uh, ok?" As he walks away, Kyungsoo hears him say the same thing into the phone, which confirms his suspicions that he's in cahoots with Jongdae. 

Grumbling to himself, he neatly stacks his papers, sliding the loose ones into his work book, and tidies up his bed. The process soothes his mind a bit and by the time he opens his wardrobe, he doesn't feel like this whole situation is an assault anymore. Maybe it  _ will  _ do him good to take a break.

How nice does Jongdae want Kyungsoo to dress? Is this going to be some kind of fancy performance? He sighs, grabbing something he's had for a while and never worn. At work, he just wears t-shirts and black jeans, but today he'll pair his usual black jeans with a white button up; maybe he’ll wear his brogues too. They always look stupid with his work outfits, but with this they'll look good.

He passes by the mirror, just as he's about to leave and winces. He doesn't look great; the eye bags he can't do anything about, but he runs his fingers through his hair until it looks passable. 

“Alright,” he mutters to himself, “that's about as good as it's going to get.” He shoves his wallet into a pocket and leaves, shutting the door resolutely behind him. 

Jongin is waiting for him on the sofa, already wearing nice clothes. He always makes more of an effort with his appearance than Kyungsoo does. Kyungsoo pretends that he doesn't notice it, but he does.

"You ready?" He asks softly, walking past Jongin, carrying his shoes with him so he can put them on by the door. Jongin looks up in surprise and coughs.

"Yeah, I'm good to go." He says, sounding oddly dazed. Kyungsoo doesn't look up from his shoelaces.

"Do you know where Jongdae is trying to take us?"

"Uhh..." Jongin seems to be stumbling over his words, causing Kyungsoo looks at him skeptically, "I don't know.  I don't think he's actually coming."

"He's not?" Kyungsoo makes a face, "then why is he so insistent that  _ we  _ go?"

"It's more that  _ you _ go, I think. And again, I'm not really sure. He said that Chanyeol will be there."

"I can't believe that guy has the nerve to 'stage an intervention' and not actually turn up to it. What kinda ballsy..." He carries on grumbling to himself as he unlocks the door, still stewing as they get onto the subway. Jongin is politely not saying anything, which he's grateful for. Being outside again is clearing his head, and he already feels a little less swamped by everything. Even the chatter of all the other subway-goers isn't causing headaches the way it normally does.

He purses his lips. Jongin must be a saint to still be here, willingly working with him after all the bad mood and asshole behaviour he has been putting him through.

"I'm sorry." He says abruptly, causing Jongin to look at him in confusion, "I know I'm not easy to work with, so I'm sorry. And... thanks for sticking around. I know I don't make it obvious, but I would probably have jumped off the roof because of the stress by now, if it weren't for you." Jongin's eyebrows draw together.

"Don't say stuff like that." He murmurs, " you're not that bad. Sure, you're kinda snappy and you don't talk that much, but I know you’re not always like that. And besides, I've dealt with worse." He jokes.

"Have you now?" The corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth turns up.

"Hell yeah. My boss at I had my first job, when I did fast food, was a genuine asshole. He yelled at everyone all the time, didn't let us take breaks even though we worked from like four till ten. It was hell on earth."

"Why didn't you quit?" Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose; in comparison, his first job had been much nicer. He worked at a friend's parent's bookshop for a few months. Hadn't earned much, but it had been pleasant overall.

"Needed the money."

"Oh."

"Yeah.” He smiles without humour, “I wonder what Jongdae has planned." Jongin muses again.

"Who knows. Maybe he wants to get us both smashed, that's his usual stunt in these kinds of situations."

"I hope not, we know what happened last time." Jongin laughs awkwardly, to which Kyungsoo half smiles and looks away, embarrassed. Why did he have to bring that up? He fidgets, pulling at the hem of his cuffs.

More than once, Kyungsoo has woken early in the morning after dreaming about it. 

They don't say anything more until it's time for them to alight and even then it's just 'this stop, right?'. When did this get so awkward? Kyungsoo feels like he hasn't  _ properly  _ spoken to Jongin in weeks.

Jongin leads the way out of the station and they stand around for a short while, until someone calls out their names.

"Kyungsoo, Jongin, over here!" It's Chanyeol, there's no way anyone can miss him. He towers above everyone else and he's waving cheerfully at them, from his spot underneath the awning of a nearby shop. Sehun is next to him, holding his other hand and looking a bit embarrassed to be stood next to him.

"Well, there's Chanyeol." Jongin says, with a laugh, heading over to them.

"So what's the plan? Jongdae just told me to meet you here." Jongin asks, being far more sociable than Kyungsoo is feeling. He’s suddenly sleepy and instead of being out in the city, talking to people, he could be curled up in his bed right now. That would constitute an adequate break, right?

"We're just going to eat a meal together, nothing too strenuous." He eyes Kyungsoo warily. He seems to have become a bit nervous around him in the past weeks. Not that he blames him, with the way he's been acting. He tries to smile at him, to come across at least a little bit friendly and not like he wants to go home. Chanyeol’s mouth twitches up at the corner, so maybe he doesn’t come across too badly.

"Where did you want to go? Are we waiting for anyone else? Jongdae said he wasn't coming."

"Uh, no, it's just us." Chanyeol says, looking between Jongin and Kyungsoo as if either one of them might explode. Kyungsoo feels like he's wading through water to understand the implications of that, but when he does, his head starts to hurt. 

Jongdae set him up. He set them up on a date. A double date, with Chanyeol and Sehun. This is going to be terrible; he's going to feel like an intruder and it's going to make everything a million times more awkward with Jongin. It takes everything in Kyungsoo to not turn around and go back the way he came.

"Oh." Jongin says, seeming lost for words as well. Chanyeol tucks his hands into his sleeves and tries to become smaller.

"I'm just doing this because Jongdae said it might help you guys out-we don't have to go through with it, if you don't want to." His words come out in a rush.

"No, it's ok." Jongin reassures him, before Kyungsoo can say anything so he glares at the back of his head, before schooling his expression to something nicer. Sehun catches him and bites back a laugh, smirking instead. The little twerp finds this scenario funny, does he? 

"Are you sure?" Chanyeol double checks, "I don't want to be annoying."

"You aren't being annoying. We'll give Jongdae hell for this, don’t you worry." Jongin says. " anyway, what did you have in mind?"

"We were thinking either barbecue, or a buffet type place?" Sehun says, taking charge, "that sound good to you? We know a few good places around here." 

"Yeah, that sounds great." Jongin smiles cordially. Kyungsoo is glad, at least, that Jongin is shouldering the brunt of the talking. He doesn't think that he could talk much, without sounding grumpy and snapping at anyone that asks him a question. He really needs to work on that.

"So, barbecue? I'm kind of in the mood for that, right now." Sehun says, nudging Chanyeol in the arm. Chanyeol nods, humming.

"Barbecue is good. Is it close by?" Asks Jongin, pensively patting his stomach.

"Yeah, just a couple of minutes that way." Chanyeol points towards the other end of the street, "it won't take long. I guess you're hungry?"

"I am, I don't know about Kyungsoo."

"Starving." Kyungsoo mumbles. No one smiles and instead starts to walk. Kyungsoo feels like a burden, he doubts anyone actually wants him to be here right now. It would be more fun for them, if he weren't here. This is why he doesn’t go anywhere anymore. He sighs quietly to himself, lagging behind a little as his head gets even more crowded. He watches the others' back, thinking that they all kind of look good together. Chanyeol and Sehun do, naturally, but Jongin there too makes them all look like models. They get a few looks as they pass through the throngs of people enjoying their evening.

Jongin looks over his shoulder once, but Kyungsoo is too slow to catch the expression on his face. The three of them slow down though, until Kyungsoo is walking alongside them. Kyungsoo is stupidly touched by the gesture, and mumbles a quick thank you to Jongin, which he isn’t sure he actually heard. 

True to Chanyeol's word, the restaurant is close by. Fairy lights decorate the walls and there are photos of people eating. It's very student-y, which means the food is probably going to be quite cheap and unhealthy. They sit down, Chanyeol and Sehun on one side of the table, Kyungsoo and Jongin on the other, in a booth. It's not very spacious, their legs tangled underneath the table, so they’re all squished together. Not that the couple mind, they would probably be sat this close anyway, but Kyungsoo isn't exactly comfortable with the proximity. It makes him think of things he shouldn't and makes him want things he's told himself he can't have.

"So what's good to eat, here?" Jongin asks, picking up a menu, "I like chicken, but some places have their specialities, right?"

"Like, everything?" Chanyeol says, leg juggling, making the table bounce until Sehun shifts his arm under the table and it stops, "we're gonna get some of everything anyway."

"I haven't been to one of these in ages." Jongin smiles, looking around, "this is a cute place."

"Right?" Sehun agrees, "we found this a couple of months or so ago and we've been coming here ever since. They know us by name already, they're really nice."

"That's good, it's always nice when you’re close with the owners." Jongin smiles, opening the menu out so he and Kyungsoo can have a look. They spend a couple of minutes debating over whether to just get a set menu or make their own up, eventually settling on set B. The food looks pretty good, so maybe this won’t be so bad. They’ll just be hanging out like normal, as long as Sehun and Chanyeol aren’t any more cuddly than they normally are, it shouldn’t get too awkward. Right?

They call the waitress over to make their order, which Jongin handles like a pro, even when the girl drops her pencil and tries to flirt. Kyungsoo just glares at her, cheek resting on his palm, waiting for her to go away. He  _ certainly  _ doesn’t want to spend his evening being watched by some teenager, no matter how innocent or naive. She seems to get the idea pretty quickly, scuttling off to the kitchen to safety. Once she’s gone, Sehun starts sniggering. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, but quickly sees the funny side of it as well, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

“Kyungsoo, you’re so mean.”

“I’m not usually this much of an asshole.” He mumbles, colouring. Jongin nudges him,

“You were only doing what everyone wanted to.” He reassures him, humorously.

“Yeah, she doesn’t do that to us. Probably because we’re so obviously a couple.” Chanyeol says.

“As if anyone could  _ not _ know that.” Kyungsoo teases but Chanyeol doesn’t rise to the bait, instead laying a kiss on Sehun’s cheek, to the exasperation of Kyungsoo and Jongin. Sehun giggles, actually  _ giggles _ and covers his face with his hand. Kyungsoo is suddenly hyper aware of how close Jongin is to him, their thighs almost touching. He rearranges himself, so they can each have their own personal bubble, but it doesn’t really help. If anything, it makes him more aware. It also has the added issue of making Jongin aware, as well, and Kyungsoo squirms under his judgement.

Luckily, the food arrives soon after and Chanyeol is quick to turn on the grill in the middle of the table. Sehun, as the youngest, is teased into taking care of the food with his tongs and soon Kyungsoo is feeling a bit better. The haze of sleepiness and stress, fades into a ball that hovers at the back of his head. 

“Do you watch ‘Nora Galaxy Space Girl’?” Sehun asks, out of the blue, feeding Chanyeol a scrap of meat.

“No, what’s that?” Jongin asks. As if Kyungsoo has time to watch anything on TV at the moment.

“It’s a cartoon. It’s technically for kids, but it’s really good.” Sehun enthuses.,“if you get time, you should try it out!” 

“He’s obsessed.” Chanyeol stage whispers, hiding his face from his boyfriend, “he keeps trying to get me to watch it too.”

“Hey! You said you liked it when I made you watch the first five or six episodes, what gives?” Sehun scowls, poking at Chanyeol’s tummy.

“I do!” Chanyeol says, squawking. He must be ticklish, “I just think it’s cute that you like it so much! AH! Stop it!” He wrestles Sehun away from him and holds his hands, to stop him from tickling him more. Kyungsoo smiles at their antics. They’re so dynamic and playful, it’s hard to be annoyed with them; even when they go into couple mode.

"What's this show about?" Jongin asks, interrupting their playful spat. Sehun, caught up in Chanyeol's arms, responds.

"It's about a little girl who fights alien monsters that are made from different types of crystals in order to protect her home planet. It's better than it sounds, I promise."

"Why is it always children fighting these battles?" Kyungsoo squints. Where are their parents?

"I don't really know, probably because the target audience is children?" Sehun shrugs, tugging his hands away from Chanyeol, "let  _ go _ , I need to turn the meat! I don't suppose it really matters, because some of the topics it deals with are pretty serious."

"Yeah, Sehun likes his ‘issues’." Chanyeol says, like he's letting them into some huge secret. Sehun looks away, a little flustered.

"We've noticed." Jongin teases, helping himself to some of the cooked meat on the grill in front of them.

"Yeah, well, they're important." Sehun scowls, aggressively snapping at a bit of meat with his tongs.

"We aren't saying they're not." Jongin says, shaking his head and holding his hands up, "it's just that not everyone has the same kind of dogged tenacity as you do. You're very passionate."

"Thanks? I guess?" Sehun busies himself flipping bits of meat and vegetables, ensuring they all get cooked perfectly;his cheeks are pink. Kyungsoo knows how that feels, there's just something about Jongin that cuts right through people, leaving them flustered and half in love. Or maybe that's just Kyungsoo.

“We know, baby, we’re just teasing.” Chanyeol says, kissing his cheek, which has Sehun flustering again. "All jokes aside, it is a good show, from what I've seen. I mean, if you do have a few spare minutes, the episodes aren't really that long. You could give it a shot? She has a giant purple snake friend, if that sweetens the deal." Chanyeol says, diffusing the tension.

"I'll think about it." Jongin says, promptly shoving as much food as he can get into his mouth. If anyone is likely to start something new, it would be Jongin. Kyungsoo wouldn't be surprised if Jongin tried it out as soon as they get home, in all honesty. Kyungsoo doesn't make any promises, knowing that he probably won't even remember this conversation when he next has any free time. Who even knows when that will even be? He's getting tired just thinking about it. Time to think of something else to talk about.

"How is your university life going?" Small talk. Great. He smiles anyway, pushing through the awkwardness by picking out some well cooked meat.

"Not as bad as it could be, I guess." Chanyeol answers, "I'm getting by. My final exams for the year are next month, so I'm juggling this internship and studying for those."

"That sounds tough." Jongin commiserates, "it sucks working and studying at the same time, I understand what you're going through."

"Yeah, it's not the easiest thing in the world." He casts an anxious glance in Kyungsoo's direction, "on the plus side, my mum recently got a dog! He's a tiny poodle called Toben and he's adorable; let me show you a picture." 

Kyungsoo has to admit that the little puppy is indeed, adorable and he even leans closer to get a better look.  As Chanyeol starts elaborating on the stories his mum sends him, like how he destroys his mouse plushie, he finds himself zoning out a bit. He's eaten enough now to feel decently full and the alcohol they had is starting to kick in; leaving him fuzzy headed and relaxed. He stares out of the window, drifting off into a daydream. 

It's nice and comfortable here, he feels less bad about relaxing. He had under-estimated just how much he needed this. His eyelids begin to feel heavy and he thinks he could probably drift off right here, his forehead leaning on the window, overlooking the masses running below.

Running? That doesn't seem normal. There isn't some marathon, or athletics event planned today, is there? He probably wouldn't have known about it, since he hasn't been keeping up with the news lately.

The building shakes and everyone freezes. Kyungsoo suddenly feels a hell of a lot more sober. 

“What... was that?” Chanyeol asks, eyebrows drawn together. He and Jongin stand up, trying to get a better look at what's going on outside as well. More people are running and they can hear panicked shouting too.

"What's happening?" Jongin breathes, leaning over Kyungsoo to see.

"I'm not sure." Kyungsoo says, a chill running down his spine. Is this the moment they've been waiting for? The moment everyone knew was coming? 

The door to the kitchen flings open and the waitress from earlier, followed by two kitchen staff, burst out. The older man is pulling on his coat and looks severely worried. He looks at them sharply, holding the waitress's wrist tightly; they look alike, maybe they're related.

"We've been ordered to get to shelter; a group of Hanjurians are attacking this area of the city." He says, already halfway out the door, "we're going to the subway station. You should come too."

The door closes behind them, leaving the four of them in frozen shock. It takes a moment for all of them to process what just happened. Chanyeol is the first to move; he grabs his boyfriend by the hand, making to leave, but Sehun pulls him back.

"Don't you think it's a bad idea to go out there?" He asks, face pale and lips trembling. Kyungsoo kind of agrees with him. Maybe it would be better to stay out of sight, in relative safety; they're high up above where the terrorists will be looking. Jongin looks over to him.

"I think we'd be safer underground, if the building collapses, we go down with it. They have those shelter signs for a reason, right?" He doesn't look sure about the shelters, but Chanyeol is determined to get them out of there.

"If we get there quickly, I think we'll be safe.” He says, "come  _ on _ , we're running out of time." As if to prove Chanyeol's point the ground shakes again, more violently than before, as another explosion rocks the district. The light fittings sway unnervingly. They're getting closer. They need to get out of here; anywhere is better than here. Maybe if they go to the subway, they can get on a train, and go somewhere safer.

"Alright, let's go." Kyungsoo agrees, using Jongin's outstretched hand to get up. Sehun bites his lip, but doesn't try to fight the majority vote. The four of them thunder down the narrow staircase and burst out onto the street, immediately joining the growing throng of running people, all heading the same way. Mouth falling open in horror, Kyungsoo looks behind him. Smoke billows from above the skyline in various places. This attack is a larger scale than all the ones leading up to it. Or does it just seem smaller on TV? 

Jongin tugs him along, fingers tightly wound around his so they don't get split up. Jongin's runs fast and Kyungsoo has to work hard in order to keep up at all. Kyungsoo's hands are clammy and if he loosens his death grip, Jongin might slip away from him. There are too many people here, he might not be able to find him again. He can't risk losing him in this chaos. He can see Chanyeol and Sehun's heads above everyone else's, able to move faster with their longer legs. Kyungsoo is holding Jongin back, but he won't let go.

The subway station is so packed that people are overflowing out of the stairwell, hoping that the plastic shelter above it will offer them some form of meager protection. Jongin pushes forwards and forces his way into the mess of scared people, just as another explosion, even louder, makes the ground rattle.

Two police officers, both carrying large guns, are directing the flow of human traffic, their weapons pointed at the ground. Kyungsoo and Jongin are bustled down the stairs and into the dim underground station; they lose sight of Chanyeol and Sehun in the confusion. Stomach twisting in knots, Kyungsoo evaluates the path the Hanjurians are taking. They are heading directly towards them, but whether that's their final destination, he has no idea. Is their goal to wreak havoc? Or are they gunning for something specific?

People shout and cling onto each other, complete strangers who they've never seen before. Jongin pulls Kyungsoo closer, wrapping his arms around him protectively. Kyungsoo burrows into the cavity of Jongin chest, terrified and grateful for the gesture. Next to them, a young girl is on the phone, almost in tears as she tells her parents what’s going on.

Is any help going to come? The police? The fire brigade? Government agents? There are sections that specifically train for this kind of emergency situation, but they live and train on the other side of the city.

Kyungsoo could, in theory, draw a spell that could protect at least a few people but he would need to know what they're up against in order to choose the right spell for the job. None of them know what is coming; if it’s anything like the previous attacks, it might be a group of people wielding offensive magic, or it could be people with heavy artillery. It could be both! It could even be something no one has seen before; the Hanjurians' magic department has reportedly been working on a new, far more powerful, type of magical weapon.

Over the clamour of panic, he hears a child crying.

He clenches his fists, gripping Jongin's sleeves tightly. He can help. This is his speciality, if there's anything he can do, it's create something to protect as many people as he can. He bites down hard on his lip, trying to stop himself from hyperventilating. He thinks back to the singed spell circle, still preserved in the museum today. He _can_ do this.

He wriggles out of Jongin’s arms.

"Does anyone have paper and a pen? I need it!" He tries to shout, but his voice is drowned out. Jongin looks at him in alarm, the only one who heard him.

"Kyungsoo! What are you thinking?!"

"I can help!" He yells back, somebody shoving him from behind.

"It's too dangerous!" Jongin shakes his head, eyes wide. He reaches out, to grab Kyungsoo's shoulders and hold him there, but Kyungsoo backs away. Kyungsoo grits his teeth, feeling like he's about to throw up. He elbows through the people and forces his way to the front of the crowd. It's tough going; people don't want to get out of his way and they look at him like he's clearly insane to he fights his way to the front. 

The street is eerily deserted. He feels far more exposed here.

The two police officers from before are joined by a couple of others who must have come running at their call. All of them are pointing their guns into the empty space around them. They will buy some time but judging by the sizes of the explosions, they're dealing with something that guns like theirs, no matter how big, won't be able to stand up to.

He shakes his head, he needs to focus. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yells.

"I need a pen and some paper!" He looks into the eyes of the terrified citizens and can see that his words are barely registering. He tries again. "I can help, I promise. I just need a pen and some paper.  _ Please _ ." Still nothing, but at least people have stilled a little. Someone a little ways back, calls out behind him asking the same thing. It ripples through the crowd, until people are passing him a sketchpad and a selection of fancy brush pens, probably from an artist's bag. He shouts his thanks, hoping that whoever this belongs to gets the message and immediately sinks to the floor, flipping it open to a clean page. 

Hands shaking, he pick up one of the finer-tipped pens, knowing that he has very little space to work with and even less time. He's going to draw a basic, military grade barrier. It should protect from fire, bombs and bullets. A spell like this will take him about twelve minutes to draw, so he can't waste any more time.

He starts with a simple circle. His penmanship is slightly shaky, but not so much that it will be a detriment to how the spell functions. He hopes.

Everyone falls deathly quiet, as if not wanting to break Kyungsoo's concentration.

Someone else pushes through to the front of the crowd. Jongin joins him on the floor a moment later. He lays his hand on Kyungsoo's back, a silent support. Kyungsoo sends him a tight, but thankful, smile; he might need his magical stamina too.

The lines and symbols flow like water, as long as he ignores the outside pressure. He blocks out the noises, people whispering that they can see the attackers and only winces a little bit when the ground shakes again. Debris falling around them from the latest explosion. 

The gunfire makes him jump.

They're getting so close,  _ too close _ , oh god- He has to hurry or all these people will  _ die _ . If he doesn’t hurry up,  _ he’s going to die. _ He's over halfway now, he can make it, he can, if he just-

Another explosion. No more gunfire. Did they take out the policemen just like that? Kyungsoo can't stop the sob that breaks from his throat. His vision blurs, and he uses his sleeve to wipe away the moisture, hardly slowing down his drawin.

"Out of the way." Someone pushes to the front of the crowd. Kyungsoo recognises that voice, looking up for the briefest second and does a double take. White as a sheet, is Chanyeol standing between him and the smoke that hides whatever is coming their way. He has something in his hands, a balled up bit of fabric? It makes sense when he pulls it onto his hands, they’re gloves. A seal on the back of each hand, is that what he's been researching? It makes sense, seals can conduct on varying types of fabric.

"Kyungsoo, keep working on that spell. I'm going to buy you some time." Terrified, Kyungsoo opens his mouth to tell him not to be stupid, but Sehun's voice rips through the silence.

"What?" He yells, struggling to fight his way through the masses, "Chanyeol, no! Chanyeol wait, don't do this!" He screams, reaching through people who just won't get out of his way. Kyungsoo watches, gaping, unable to say anything. “No!”

"If Kyungsoo can finish that spell.... Jongin, don't let him get hurt, ok?" Chanyeol's hands are shaking as he takes his first few steps. Through the thick, black smoke, several figures can be seen approaching. Jongin looks stricken but he nods, fighting to hold back Sehun who finally pushes through the crowd.

Chanyeol closes his eyes, inhales deeply, and holds out his hands. As he steps forward, his hands catch fire, a roaring, orange glow that drips and trails from his fingertips.

Kyungsoo ducks his head down, trying to draw the spell as fast as possible without fucking it up.

If he has to start again, they’re all done for.

Beside him, Jongin is restraining a hysterical Sehun, who is fighting against him and screaming desperately. More people are screaming now too, crying inconsolably. The loudest explosion yet, coupled with a white-blue flash of light has him clutching at his pen. Sehun screams again, flailing in Jongin's arms.

Only ten more symbols left. Kyungsoo can barely breathe, each inhale shaky and juddery. He fights to keep his penmanship smooth and legible, arching and swooping, curling and dotting.

Blue light filters into his vision, with a horrific  _ zzap _ noise, followed by crumbling buildings. The ground rocks beneath him and he holds the pen away from the page so it doesn’t get ruined. The weapons they have must utilise lightning magic, an advanced type of fire.

Rounds of bullets ricochet off the walls of the buildings. The back-up must have arrived. How much good will they do? Will they buy any more time?

Five more symbols. His fingers are shaking and he isn’t sure that he’s going to make it in time.

Sehun is in tears and Jongin isn't faring any better. "Kyungsoo!" Jongin shouts, urging him to hurry. Kyungsoo's heart can't take this.

One last symbol and- he's finished. The spell is drawn and ready to cast.

He looks out to the street, where piles of rubble partially block his view. Chanyeol is laying on the ground, one of the Hanjurian fighters standing over him, pointing one of the huge guns in his face. Chanyeol's burning hands are locked around the barrel of the weapon. Several of others are aiming their weapons at police officers.

The other two Hanjurian's are advancing on Kyungsoo and the innocent civilians.

"No!  _ No _ , no, no, no,  _ Chanyeol _ !"

It happens so quickly. The gun explodes, sending the Hanjurian flying backwards, hitting the window of a shopfront and destroying it. Chanyeol is consumed in a cloud of fiery black smoke. Kyungsoo's stomach drops. 

No. This isn’t real. No, no no. 

Sehun let's out a bloodcurdling shriek. He fights Jongin's hold, kicking wildly and almost breaking free.

"Kyungsoo, cast it!" Jongin yells, "you have to do it,  _ now _ !" Breathing shallow, Kyungsoo places his hands over the circle and let's his magic flow through him. He can feel the inexplicable  _ rightness _ of a working spell, a circle that puts up no resistance, that functions perfectly. After so long pouring magic into failed spells, this feels so  _ right _ . 

When he looks up, they're protected. The barrier itself is barely visible, just a slight shimmer, like hot air above a fire. The dome shape arches over all of them, leaving at least ten feet between them and the threat of the Hanjurian fighters. The police are still on the outside and so is Chanyeol. More tears prick at Kyungsoo’s eyes.

Someone cheers and another, until everyone is applauding, or shouting. Kyungsoo looks up, heart swelling with emotion and tears rolling over his cheeks. He wants to wipe his face but he’s afraid if he lets go of the spell then it will break.

Jongin releases Sehun, who charges over to the barrier, pounding his fists against it. Placing his hands on the spell too, Jongin adds another source for the magic to stem from.

He looks to the side, seeing that the Hanjurian fighters have lowered their weapons. This barrier might not hold up to a lightning attack as strong as theirs, but they don't know the strength of this, anyway. They seem to know they've been thwarted, falling back to regroup. One of them, possibly the leader, is gesticulating wildly. Another is carrying their injured member over his shoulder. The sound of a helicopter makes them look up, two figures lean out of the vehicle, one of them aiming a blast of lightening of their own. The strike tears up some of the concrete, sending the Hanjurians to their knees. Those who recognise the helicopter, shout with relief; it’s theirs. Kyungsoo squints to see properly. Those under the bubble, that can see what's going on, are relaying the story to the people stuck underground, who are probably terrified.

Before the Hanjurians can recover, another lightning strike hits them. They're losing quickly and they know it. They drop the unconscious the body and pick up their weapons, aiming upwards, but they don't even get the chance to shoot as another lightning strike sends them flying. Kyungsoo wants to cover his eyes from the brightness.

The Hanjurians start to move, retreating back the way they came. Kyungsoo has no idea where they're headed, but suddenly he is afraid for whoever might fall in their path. The ruined street is littered with bodies, all of them police, except one.

Sehun is still sobbing, staring out at Chanyeol's prone body. They have no idea whether he's still alive, but it doesn’t look good.

He keeps the spell going until he's sure the Hanjurians have left and the moment he lets it drop, Sehun is sprinting to Chanyeol.

People start to file out of the subway station, chattering nervously. No-one is smiling though, especially when they enter out onto level ground and see the damage. People gasp at the sight of all the bodies. Kyungsoo doesn't know what to feel anymore, but there are tears pouring from his eyes anyway.

Jongin takes Kyungsoo's hand, leading him over the damaged terrain towards where Chanyeol is lying. He doesn't look promising. The explosion from the backfired gun has badly burnt his body and face, and if he is still alive, then he’s probably unconscious from the pain. 

Paramedics are filtering into the area, attending to all the fallen bodies, searching for victims that are still breathing.

Sehun places two trembling fingers against Chanyeol's neck, pleading under his breath for him to open his eyes. Kyungsoo holds his breath while they wait. Chanyeol can't be dead, he was so full of life. He just can't be gone. His eyes are deceiving him, they have to be.

Gasping brokenly, Sehun slumps over Chanyeol's body sobbing and Kyungsoo assumes the worst. Tears pour over his cheeks and his heart twists in his chest.

"Chanyeol." He whispers, laying his hand on his arm. His hand tightens around Jongin’s and Jongin pulls him into his side. Sehun starts laughing.

"He's not dead." He manages to get out, between relieved sobs, "he's alive. He's  _ alive _ ." He smiles, tears cascading down his face. Jongin lets go of Kyungsoo, standing to call medical help over. "You big, dumb, idiot." He sniffles, wiping his face.

Paramedics rush over, sweeping Chanyeol's body onto a stretcher and carrying him away. Sehun follows into the ambulance, not letting go of Chanyeol's hand.

Kyungsoo feels faint and leans bodily into Jongin. The adrenaline must be wearing off.

"You did a good job." He whispers, stroking his hair, "you saved a lot of people." A lot, Kyungsoo agrees, but not all of them. He  _ could  _ have saved all of them, if he had finished that damn spell in time. Then none of this would have even happened. Kyungsoo closes his eyes and lets his head rest on Jongin's shoulder. He's so tired.

The pair of them get checked over by medics as well, but there's nothing physically wrong with them, so they’re released without fuss.

 

Jongin doesn't let go of him for a moment. Not when journalists are trying to ask them questions, not when they're taken to the police station to get their official statements and not when they're in a police car together, being taken home. Not that Kyungsoo wants him to; in fact, when Jongin makes to move away and give him space, Kyungsoo follows him.

 

Kyungsoo's hands are still shaking when he tries to unlock the door to his apartment. He manages to turn the key with help from Jongin's steady hand. How is he so calm after everything they've been through today? Kyungsoo doesn't think he'll be able to sleep tonight, despite being more tired than he's felt in forever.

He saw at least fifteen people  _ die _ , today. He's glad one of them wasn't Chanyeol, though. Or Jongin. He looks up at the other man and sees how tight his eyes are. Maybe he's just better at hiding his feelings than Kyungsoo is.

"Do you want some tea?" Jongin asks softly, already toeing off his shoes, "I'm going to make myself a hot chocolate. I think we could do with a hot drink don't you?" He half laughs, no real humour behind it. Kyungsoo nods, aimlessly wandering over to the sofa and curling up in the corner there. 

"I'd switch on the TV, but it's only going to be coverage of today." Jongin says, quietly. Kyungsoo snorts. He wonders if his actions today will grant him his fifteen minutes of fame. He doesn't want it.

The kettle boils and Kyungsoo can hear Jongin pouring it into each mug. A minute later, Jongin brings him a drink, to which Kyungsoo takes it gratefully. Joining him on the sofa, Jongin sits close to him. Normally, Kyungsoo would be uncomfortable and shimmy away, but today he needs the reminder that he's not alone. He exhales deeply, chest shuddering.

"I hope Chanyeol is going to be ok."

"He'll be alright. The kid is tough and the doctors said his condition is stable. Don't worry about him."

"Yeah, but you saw his face. He's going to be in so much pain." Kyungsoo laments, picturing him hooked up to all the hospital equipment. They were only allowed in there for a few minutes, but the memory is burned in his brain. He had to be operated on, to get some of the shrapnel from the gun out of his body.

"I did. He's going to have a rough time." Jongin concedes, "c'mere." He throws an arm over Kyungsoo's shoulders, surrounding him with warmth. Kyungsoo shrivels up, allowing himself to be coddled while he can. Tomorrow he's going to be straight back to work, though. The spell won't figure itself out, after all.

"Kyungsoo, I can feel you over-thinking. Stop it." Jongin scolds, "drink your old man tea, and try to relax."

"Easier said than done." Kyungsoo mumbles into his hot drink, blowing on it to cool it down a little. He’ll let the old man comment slide

"I can think of a few ways I could distract you." Jongin teases. If he means what Kyungsoo thinks he means- Kyungsoo's cheeks burn, and he glares up at Jongin balefully.

" _ Not _ the time."

"Sorry, sorry." Jongin laughs. The movement jostles Kyungsoo, and he almost spills his drink, which gives Kyungsoo more cause to be petulant. "I'm just happy to have you in my arms, whatever the reason."

"I-I thought you said you weren't going to push me?" Kyungsoo stammers, "this counts as pushing." Kyungsoo stutters. Why is he saying this? Is he trying to confuse him even more? How can he be horny, or whatever, after everything that's happened today? Kyungsoo is so exhausted that he wouldn't be able to do anything like that even if he wanted to.

"Do you ever think about that night?" Jongin asks, eyes brimming with startling intensity. Kyungsoo looks away, and doesn't respond. This is bad timing, so bad, this is very bad. The answer is; yes. All the time. But if he says that, things will change, and Kyungsoo is scared.

He makes to get up, to retreat to his bedroom, where it's safe and there's no Jongin trying to get him to admit to feelings he doesn't have time for.

"Hey, hey-!" Jongin grabs onto him, and doesn't let him leave. "I'm just kidding. I was trying to distract you- I guess it worked a little too well, huh?" He scratches the back of his head, as Kyungsoo sits back down, slowly.

“Are you really ok?” Kyungsoo asks, “you seem to be fine with everything, but are you really?”

“Honestly? No. Today was terrifying. Seeing Chanyeol go down like that was-” his voice catches, and his hand clenches around his thigh, “it was awful.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Kyungsoo, stop it. It’s not your fault.” 

“Ok. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Kyungsoo asks, realising a beat too late that he could ask for anything.

“No, not really. Just- just stay here? For a bit longer.” He whispers, leaning into Kyungsoo’s side. Glad that he doesn’t want more than that right now, Kyungsoo reels him in closer, one arm behind him. Jongin has probably had it rougher than Kyungsoo today. He had to hold back his friend while his other friend walked out into the middle of a battlefield. Kyungsoo absently strokes Jongin’s arm. 

"Do you think your parents are worried?" Kyungsoo asks, thinking of his mother. She had warned him to come home if he felt like he was in danger. Well, he still feels shaken up, but he doesn't want to go home. He's expecting a worried call from her any minute now, and he's actually surprised that she hasn't rung him yet. She must have heard the news by now. Oh well, if she hasn't now, she will by tomorrow, when Kyungsoo's face will show up on the news station. He winces.

"Yeah. I sent my dad a text earlier, telling him that I'm alright."

"Oh." If either of Kyungsoo's parents were any good with technology, he would have done the same, but both of them can barely even switch on a phone. Even their landline is so old fashioned that it's been discontinued.

"Yeah. I don't think they'll send anyone to drag me back there. Nothing to worry about."

"That's good." Kyungsoo nods, sipping his jasmine tea. It's soothing as it settles in his belly, warming him from the inside.

Jongin inhales deeply, Kyungsoo can feel his rib-cage expand.

"I want to ask a favour of you, Kyungsoo." He says quietly. Suspicious, Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him. Jongin's ears barely even twitch.

"What is it?"

"I want you to let me in. I don't want you to feel like you still have to take everything on by yourself. Can you tell me what you're working on, in your room every night? I know it’s related to the spell. I mean, that's why you hired me, right? To help? I can't do that if you don't let me."

"I..." Kyungsoo frowns. He’s right. “Yes. I don’t think you’re going to be blown away by my progress, though.”

"It's worth a try, right?" Jongin says, slurping his hot chocolate noisily.

"I guess so."

"Who knows, maybe as you're explaining it to me out loud, you'll be hit with a sudden wave of inspiration." He mimes a shock wave with his hands.

"It's worth a try." Kyungsoo nods, parroting Jongin's earlier phrase. "I'll go through it at work with you tomorrow."

"Good plan. I don't know about you, but I am about to sleep where I sit."

"Me too." Kyungsoo says, feeling the tiredness pulling at his eyelids. He still questions whether he'll be able to sleep tonight, after everything he's seen, but he does feel calmer now. His hands have stopped shaking, and he feels more zen. Being so near to Jongin is definitely helping. If it wouldn’t make things weird, Kyungsoo would ask to sleep next to him tonight.

"Once we've finished our drinks, we can get ready for bed." Jongin says, settling in. Kyungsoo doesn't know if he'll be able to get up at all in a few minutes. It's like he's suddenly hit a wall, where his energy reserves have simply dried up. He's so tired he can barely even move. It's taking him concentrated effort to lift his mug to his lips now. 

He can feel himself nodding off, eyes drifting closed.

"Whoa." Jongin takes his mug from him, before he drops it, and places it on the floor.

"Time to get you to bed, I think. C'mere." He lifts Kyungsoo off the sofa. Zombie-like, Kyungsoo walks with him to his bedroom, where Jongin assists him in undressing, until he's only wearing his boxers. He knows he should be bothered by Jongin seeing him like this again, but he doesn't have the energy to care right now.

The last thing he remembers is Jongin laying him in his bed, and pulling the covers up over him.


	4. Part 4

"So you haven't actually got anything specific?" Jongin hums as he looks over all the annotated, failed spells. His keen eyes scan the pages as he flips through them.

"Uh… no, not as such." Kyungsoo looks away, embarrassed. Had Jongin thought he was onto something? No, Kyungsoo is still struggling to put together the pieces. He had hoped to find a pattern by doing all this, and he... sort of did? But it's more of a pattern of where things keep going  _ wrong _ . He can't help but feel like he's missing something glaringly obvious, but the more he stares at the sheets of paper, the more his eyes cross.

"Well, if nothing else, you've found a couple of symbols that the circle doesn't work with, at least?" Jongin shrugs. "We can make your computer program cut out any circles that have them in, right?

"That's true, but I've already done that."

"Oh." Jongin scratches his head, "have you tried tracing the path? Is there anything that the circle responds particularly well to?"

"There's a few yeah." Kyungsoo rubs his forehead, glad for Jongin’s smart observations. He's already more stressed about everything than he has reason to be. He’d woken more than once in the night from nightmares, and getting into work that morning was a hassle that Kyungsoo hadn't expected, either. Well, he had expected the anxious phone call from his mother, but not all the people crowding around the entrance to his workplace. Many of them looked like reporters. Kyungsoo hadn't said anything yesterday about working here; but he had said his name. Had they found out so quickly? 

It hadn't taken them long to spot him and his heart dropped through the floor at all the attention. Jongin had offered himself up as a shield, pushing through the ruckus to get them inside. Kyungsoo is pretty sure this isn't what the man signed up for, but he's glad anyway, if not a little guilty. It would have taken him ages to get through all these reporters by himself. He'd been accosted again in the lobby, by Jongdae, Baekhyun and Wendy. All three of them had crowed over him and Jongin, asking for details and worrying.

"We’re fine," he had told them, “just want to get back to normal." Hah. Normal.

Together, he and Jongin shared, as briefly as possible, what happened. Their expressions match their own as they tell them exactly how Chanyeol came to end up in the hospital, but their praise is genuine.

“I think we should celebrate your bravery. And your claim to fame.” Jongdae had joked. To Kyungsoo, it looked more like  _ Jongdae _ was the one who needs this night out; something to cheer him up. He says as much to Jongin,

“I think you’re right. I wouldn’t mind a quiet night in after all that, but it would probably be good for all of us if we did something else, to help us get past it.”

“Yeah. I think it could be fun.” A couple of hours to not think about anything that’s going on in the real world. 

“I definitely think so. I’m looking forward to it.”

 

In the end, Baekhyun is the one who gets full reign of their destination. He was the wildest party-goer back in the day and knows all the best places to go. He had listened to Kyungsoo's requirements and said that he had the perfect place in mind. Kyungsoo had been wary at first, but when they arrived at the entrance of the place, The Gibbous Moon, it didn't look too bad. Sure, it had a dance floor, but it had a live band playing, rather than a DJ, which was easier on Jongin's ears.

The whole group, about twenty people in total, from all over the Department of Magical Research, piled into the place, mingling in with the patrons already there. Kyungsoo, with Jongin on his arm, looking a little nervous, heads straight to the bar to buy a drink, but he's stopped by Wendy.

"This is a celebration on  _ your  _ behalf." She has to shout to be heard over the music, "besides, Jongdae said he was going to pay for the first round, remember?" Kyungsoo nods, laughing a bit. Jongdae's probably going to regret that, now he knows how many people he's buying for.

“Tell him I want a mojito?” Jongin shouts, tongue peeking out of the side of his mouth, teasing. Jongdae is going to hate him for it. Wendy finger guns, understanding his line of thinking. Kyungsoo blinks rapidly, looking away from Jongin’s mouth, and asks,

"Have we got a table yet?" 

"Over there!" She points behind him and to the right, at a long table that's almost full. The pair of them are waved over by Baekhyun and ushered to some empty seats by Wendy.

"What do you think of the music?" Baekhyun asks, face a little too close, but it means Kyungsoo can hear him clearly. They are closer to the back, away from the stage, but that doesn't mean it’s much quieter.

"I like it." He gives Baekhyun a thumbs up. When he's a bit drunker, he'll probably be bobbing his head to the beat. There's a young woman up on stage, singing and dancing in front of the rest of the band, "I like this kind of music."

"I knew you'd like it here." Baekhyun grins, then turning to Jongin, leaning over Kyungsoo to shout at him. "I hear you haven't been out much, Kyungsoo hasn't been taking care of you very well, has he? If you want to have a good night out, just hit me up!"

"I'll consider it." Jongin laughs. Something about their exchange has Kyungsoo squirming with jealousy, as much as he tries to squish it down. He reminds himself that he doesn't actually own Jongin, even though he's his familiar. The thought of Jongin spending a night out with Baekhyun, though, makes him feel sorry for himself. He wants to be the one taking Jongin out into the city, showing him all the cool places, and spending time with him.

"You have my number, right? I can take you to the best hidden clubs, the ones that tourists don't know about." 

“I do.” Jongin nods.

“Let me know when you’re free,”Baekhyun says with a grin, and sits back in his seat. Kyungsoo’s fingers twitch, wanting to reach over and...what? Put his hand on Jongin’s leg in some kind of territorial display? He bites his lip, looking up at Jongin through his eyelashes. Jongin is already looking at him, smirking like he knows exactly what he’s thinking. Embarrassed at being caught, Kyungsoo turns his head, trying to  _ not _ look like a schoolboy with a crush.

Jongdae and one of his other colleagues, arrive a moment later with as many beers as they can carry at one time. He's spilling them everywhere as people take them off him, but no one seems to mind. He shoots a playful glare at Jongin, heads back to the bar, and brings back the only glass of the round, handing it to Jongin with a flourish.

“Your majesty.” He pretends to bow to Jongin, then hands Kyungsoo a bottle of beer. “At least some people are nice. Thank you Kyungsoo.”

“C’mon, it was only two trips.” Jongin chuckles, taking a sip. 

“I’ll give you a one way trip to the hospital.” He waves his fist mock-threateningly, which has Kyungsoo giggling. 

“Oh so you’re on his side now?!” Jongin throws one hand in the air, dramatically. “I don’t believe this.”

“No, no! I was just thinking I should have gotten a cocktail too.” Kyungsoo says, laughing harder when Jongdae turns his faux-rage on him as well. 

“Do you want some of mine?” Jongin offers him a taste of his drink, and Kyungsoo takes it. Jongin doesn’t let go of the glass, so Kyungsoo ends up holding his hand as well as the glass as he sips the minty drink. It’s refreshing.

“Thanks.” He smiles at Jongin. He’s missed this; just talking with his friends, and sort of flirting with Jongin. He’s been too absent lately, and it’s hurting everyone. Almost losing Chanyeol has made him realise that he shouldn’t waste the opportunities he’s given. Jongdae is right. Again. There  _ has _ to be time for a relationship, and even if there’s not, he will make time. Jongin is worth it.

Once everyone has their drinks, and glasses have been handed out, Jongdae stands at the far end of the table and claps his hands loudly until everyone is looking at him.

"First of all, I want to congratulate Kyungsoo and Jongin, once again, for doing what they did, and being so courageous in the face of danger!" Everyone cheers, raising their glasses or bottles, and Kyungsoo and Jongin share a lingering look, "I also propose that we have a moment of silence for Chanyeol. I know he's not dead, he's actually doing pretty well, but we all know that he and his boyfriend, would love to be here. Him and Kyungsoo and everyone were so brave that day, let's give them a round of applause!" He starts clapping again and before long, so many people are joining that they've attracted the attention of the band.

"Here's to Kyungsoo, Jongin and especially Chanyeol, singlehandedly defeating the Hanjurians and protecting the country of GeunTo!" He knocks back his drink and everyone else follows suit.

Kyungsoo hides his burning face in his glass, drinking to cover the embarrassment. Despite the shyness, he's proud of himself and of Jongin. He couldn't have done any this without him, it just wasn't realistic of him to think so.

Most of the night passes in a blur of socialising and chatting with people. He doesn't have to buy himself a drink once; thanks to Wendy, Jongdae and everyone else who pitches in to pay for him and Jongin.

Baekhyun buys a round of shots, midway through the evening, which makes everything even blurrier. Kyungsoo finds himself drifting closer and closer to Jongin, curling into his side as he fiddles with his phone case again. More than half of their group has been lost to the dance floor, the band from earlier still playing, hours later. Through the warm haze of the alcohol, Kyungsoo is impressed.

Jongin stays sat next to him, staring at Jongdae, who is making a fool of himself again.

"You can go dance, if you want. I'll watch you." Kyungsoo reminds him, resting his open palm on his thigh to get his attention. Jongin's eyebrows twitch, processing what he's just said. Is he slurring his words or something?

"If I dance, will you join me?"

"Uh." Kyungsoo stares dumbly at him. Why not? He's got nothing to lose. "Sure." He holds out a hand, and Jongin tugs them both up. Kyungsoo giggles, swaying into Jongin dizzily as he leads them closer to the music. Jongin never lets go of his hand, twirling Kyungsoo around and dancing cheesily. He's not as bad as Jongdae is, but he's ducking his head like, well, a duck, and Kyungsoo can't stop laughing. He slings his arms around Jongin's shoulders, loosely linking his fingers at the back of his neck, and dances like that. The music doesn’t match, but he doesn’t care. The warm lighting overhead casts Jongin’s face into an odd relief, without detracting from his handsomeness. He lets himself get lost in Jongin's eyes, only distracted when his hands are on his hips.

The were-cat is gorgeous. This is more than just drunken horny-ness. Kyungsoo must be in love with him, that's the only explanation for these fuzzy feelings whenever he looks at him. He doesn't want him to leave, he didn't even want him to find a different apartment, not really, not even at the beginning. His gaze drifts lower, locking onto Jongin's lips- would it be ok if...? Without really thinking about it, he stands up on his tiptoes. Everything is out of control, but it's fine. Kyungsoo feels it in his bones.

"Whoa, hey now." Jongin turns his head so Kyungsoo's lips land on his cheek instead. He let's go of his hip with one hand, pinning him to his chest so that he's trapped there. What the hell?

"Jongin?"

"We both know I'm better at handling my drinks than you are. I don't want you to do something you'll regret in the morning."

"I won't- I won't regret this." Kyungsoo insists, his voice coming out muffled against the other man's shirt.

"If that's the case, then you can continue this tomorrow, when you're sober, how does that sound?"

"Terrible. I want to kiss you  _ now. _ " He mumbles into Jongin's chest. He can feel the vibrations of his laughter jostling him.

"So do I, but I won't be burned twice. I'm not that kind of guy." Kyungsoo looks up at him, a little disgruntled that things aren’t going his way, now that he’s actually allowing them to. Doesn’t Jongin  _ want  _ to kiss him? A light pressure brushes his leg, distracting him; he looks behind him irritated that someone else probably brushed him, but that’s not the case at all. Instead of being annoyed, Kyungsoo laughs.

“Your tail likes me.” He reaches down to stroke the soft fur of Jongin’s tail, which is curled up around his thigh. The moment Kyungsoo touches it, it flicks away from him. Kyungsoo makes a small disappointed noise, then a bright idea occurs to him. He’s wanted to touch Jongin’s ears the entire time he’s known him, but never known how to bring it up.

“Could I touch your ears instead?”

“What?” Jongin looks at him, amused, “maybe you should switch to soft drinks from now on.”

“‘M not  _ that  _ drunk.” Kyungsoo says, his statement followed up with a burp. Ok. Maybe he is a little drunk. He frowns. Jongin laughs in his face.

“You’re  _ very _ drunk. ” Jongin corrects him, “ I guess I’m just better at drinking than you. But sure, you can touch my ears if you want to? I guess? Just be gentle, ok?” He tilts his head down, letting Kyungsoo run the back of his fingers along it; he takes Jongin’s request to be gentle seriously. The fur on his ears is smooth and shiny just like his tail and, if he’s being honest, his normal hair as well. It blends in perfectly, and looks really pretty.

“Thank you.” Jongin chuckles. He hadn’t realised he’d been saying all that aloud. He apologises, but doesn’t stop stroking Jongin’s ears, concentrating.

“What the fuck?” Baekhyun, having come to talk to them at just the wrong moment, yells over the music. Kyungsoo recoils clumsily, pinning his hands down by his side, “is this some kind of freaky foreplay?” He laughs at his own joke while Kyungsoo indignantly untangles himself from Jongin’s arms.

“I just came over to tell you that some of us are moving on- we’re going to a club. Thought I’d extend an invite to you. A couple of others are heading home now too, so no shame if you go home as well”

“No thank you.” Jongin answers, “maybe another time, but I don’t trust Kyungsoo to get home safe on his own.”

“I c’n use the subway. I’m drunk, not a baby. You can go if you want.”  Baekhyun looks him up and down, and shakes his head. Offended at his heavy judgement, Kyungsoo flips him off.

“You’re such a lightweight. Bye Jongin! See you, Kyungsoo.” He pulls Kyungsoo in for a one arm-hug, then leaves. Kyungsoo stands on his tiptoes, trying to spot Jongdae through the crowds; he’s there by the door, putting on his jacket. When he sees Kyungsoo, he waves, grinning brightly. He mouths something that Kyungsoo doesn’t quite catch, following the rest of his colleagues out into the cold. Kyungsoo feels a bit dejected, being left behind like that; isn’t tonight meant to be for their sake?

“It’s ok.” Jongin tells Kyungsoo, tugging him a little closer and preventing him from being hit by another dancing drunk. “We can stay here a bit longer, or we can head home now, what do you want?” 

Kyungsoo doesn’t feel like staying here anymore and without even having to say anything, Jongin seems to pick up on that. 

“Let’s go home, Kyungsoo.” Jongin says, taking Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo twines their fingers together, loving how it feels.

 

When Kyungsoo wakes the next morning to the sound of his bleeping alarm, head throbbing and thirsty, he's both glad and disappointed that Jongin is not in bed with him. Through the mist of his alcohol boggled mind, Kyungsoo recalls the warm lighting and even warmer arms of Jongin surrounding him. He had tried to kiss him again, but Jongin had turned him down. Well, that's kind of embarrassing.

While Kyungsoo brushes his teeth, then downs two painkillers and a whole glasses of water, he wonders if that means he's missed his chance. It wouldn't surprise him. If he pushed him away, what should he expect? Jongin has probably moved on by now.

He leans against the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of leftover curry and rice, and watching Jongin sleeping. It's a little creepy, but he's going to try waking him up in a minute anyway. Swallowing the last mouthful, he puts his crockery aside, and kneels next to Jongin. He looks so young like this, tangled around all the blankets and cushions. That warm, gentle feeling in his chest comes back when Kyungsoo looks at him like this. He’s an awful person for messing around with his feelings like he has. Kyungsoo wants to push the hair out of his face, away from his forehead, but he just doesn't know where he stands with Jongin at the moment. He settles for shaking his shoulder instead.

Jongin moans softly, eyes screwing up as he awakens.

"Ugh. What time is it?" He complains, rubbing at his eyes. Kyungsoo winces, knowing how he must be feeling, if the pounding in his own head is any indication. He just has to wait for the painkillers to kick in.

"Time to wake up." He says, "c'mon, we have to be in for at least nine today." Nine is being generous; usually it's an eight o'clock start. Jongin grumbles under his breath and rolls over. Kyungsoo watches fondly as he mutters under his breath for a few minutes, before eventually sitting up, his back against the sofa.

He looks up at Kyungsoo, watching and waiting for something. Searching. Kyungsoo isn't sure what Jongin wants to hear from him.

"Good morning?" He tries.

"Morning." Jongin replies, voice gravelly. They're silent for a while, before Jongin sighs, looking defeated, and gets up.

"I'll get you some painkillers." Kyungsoo calls after him, as he heads towards the bathroom, still only dressed in his boxers. He watches his back muscles as he walks away, confused but appreciative. What could he want? He wracks his pounding brain for something, whatever it is that he’s missing, while Jongin brushes his teeth. 

Did he do something weird last night? The details are fuzzy, but he remembers trying to kiss Jongin. And then….then Jongin had told him to try again when he was sober. Did he think he wasn’t serious, is that it? Actually, Kyugnsoo doesn’t blame him; the only times he’s ever acted on his feelings is when he’s drunk. No wonder Jongin is disappointed in him. 

He needs to fix this, right now, before things get out of hand. He feels sick, thinking about what the consequences to this might be, however he knows that this needs to be done. He can’t carry on trying to pretend that he doesn’t have feelings for Jongin, and he can’t carry on hurting him like this. It’s only going to break both of them. 

Being on time for work can wait.

He’s still knelt in exactly the same place when Jongin returns, clean and fresh. He walks past him, going straight for his suitcase to grab some clothes, all without saying anything else. Jongin goes back to the bathroom to get  dressed, and Kyungsoo runs through a million ways of saying ‘I love you’ that aren’t going to sound weird, or out of place, or just stupid. 

“Kyungsoo? You ok?” Jongin asks, this time emerging with clothes on. “You’re kind of freaking me out.”

“I want to kiss you.” Kyungsoo says, instantly feeling like a moron. “I-I mean, I’m  _ sober  _ and I want to kiss you. And other stuff, like… I. I don’t know.” Fuck. Could he have messed up any worse? 

“Right.” Jongin folds his arms, mouth a straight line. Kyungsoo covers his face and wishes he were dead.

“I’m sorry,” he carries on talking, hardly able to stop himself now that he’s started, “I understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me after everything I’ve done; it’s fine, I probably wouldn’t want that either, if I were you, but I just wanted you to know how I feel. I want to take back what I said about forgetting about  _ you know _ . I mean, I guess you probably already figured out that I’m kind of fucked up when it comes to this sort of thing and, again, I’m really sorry for stringing you along, but I was kind of hoping that….that maybe we-” he cuts himself off, horrified, “you know what, nevermind, I’m sorry, this was stupid.”

“Wait, wait what?” Jongin stops Kyungsoo before he can stalk off to his room and bury his head in the sand. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He sounds nervous. Kyungsoo gulps, and braces himself.

“I’m saying that I have feelings for you.” He whispers. He knows Jongin can hear him.

“I… don’t understand.” Jongin’s grip on his arm loosens, and Kyungsoo turns around to face him properly. His lost expression tears another hole in Kyungsoo’s chest, “I thought…”

“That I was only interested in you for sex?” Kyungsoo cringes at what he’s saying. “I know it seemed that way. I’m so sorry for that. This is going to sound stupid but….I was trying to be professional?” Kyungsoo tries his best to explain. It sounds so dumb coming from his mouth now; if Jongdae were here, he would be saying ‘I told you so!’.

“You ‘re so smart yet sometimes you’re so dumb.” Jongin shakes his head, barking out a laugh that sort of sounds like a sob. “You can have a relationship with someone you work with, it won’t k- it’s not a bad thing.”

“I didn’t want to ruin anything.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “I’m sorry that I freaked out on you before, if I could go back to that morning and tell myself to do things differently, I would.”

“Wait, let me get this straight. So you’re saying… you’re saying that you want to? To try being ‘us’ as in not just wizard and familiar?” 

“I...well that’s a confusing way of putting it but yeah.” 

“I thought that you…” Jongin puts his hands on his head and takes a step back. Biting the inside of his cheek, Kyungsoo wants to have everything out in the open now, before he loses the courage to say it.

“I think that you’re far too nice to me, and I would have quit if I were you, but I’m so glad that you didn’t. I really, really like you,  Jongin. I just… I guess I just wanted you to know.” He shrugs. Jongin breathes in heavily through his nose.

“You’re right. You have hurt me, a lot. I thought about quitting. But it was all so weird? I can’t resent you for doing what you did, I know that it made sense to you at the time and I understand where you were coming from. I could see that you were hurting just as much, like you were punishing yourself? I didn’t want to leave you alone, though, because I knew that you would just work yourself into the ground. I kept wondering why you wouldn’t just let yourself relax. For a little while, at least.”

“I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo apologises again, not knowing what else to say. He has to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself from crying. He knew he was hurting Jongin, but hearing him say it out loud, and basically say that he forgives him for all of it? Kyungsoo doesn’t deserve this.

“I’m pretty sure that you know how I feel about  _ you _ , it’s not like I was ever subtle.” Jongin carries on.

“What, you mean all the flirting? I thought you were just naturally like that.”

“Well, I am. But have you ever seen me like that with anyone else?” Kyungsoo thinks about it, but nothing comes to mind.

“No.”

“I thought you were cute the moment I saw you. Actually, the moment I saw your message. I looked you up on the internet to make sure you weren’t some creepy old guy.”

“What? Oh no.” Kyungsoo flushes. “That’s so embarrassing.” 

“It’s ok.” Jongin reassures, “you have this odd talent of making yourself unhateable. Or maybe that’s just me?” Kyungsoo half laughs, half cries. 

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.” Kyungsoo mumbles, reaching out and winding his arms around Jongin’s waist. It feels wrong; his mind is yelling at him that he shouldn’t risk this, but the moment Jongin hugs him back, that all disappears. He lets out a shaky breath, and closes his eyes. He should have done this sooner.

“No I’m not.” Jongin insists, “everyone is more worried about you than anything else. Jongdae has been asking about you, and so has Baekhyun and Chanyeol.”

“I didn’t want to worry anyone,” Kyungsoo confesses, “and I didn’t want to make you feel like I was abusing you, as my familiar, so…” He trails off. There’s a moment of hush, wherein Kyungsoo wonders again what he did to have someone like Jongin in his life. Besides hiring him, of course.

“So what do we do about all this?” Jongin asks, “now that we both know we have feelings for each other. Do you… want to try dating?”

“I want to.” Kyungsoo agrees, looking up at Jongin. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“How about we just take it slow then? Things don’t have to change much, if you don’t want them to.” He reminds him, resting his cheek on top of Kyungsoo’s head, “we can just carry on as we are; going to work, come home, hang out. The usual stuff.”

“Dating suddenly sounds so unromantic.”

“You want romantic? I’ll buy a candle.” 

“That’s more like it.” They both laugh, and Kyungsoo finds that he loves the sound of his laugh this close.

“I’ll sprinkle some heart confetti around our office, how’s that sound?”

“Sounds messy?” 

“I promise I’ll clean it up afterwards. Speaking of work, shouldn’t we be heading in soon?” Jongin reminds him, causing Kyungsoo to tense up, “hey, hey, it’s alright. We can head in now, we’re only half an hour behind schedule. I doubt we’ll be the only people in late.”

“I guess. Baekhyun is probably not going to get in until lunch.” Kyungsoo laughs weakly. He untangles himself from Jongin’s embrace, reluctant to leave his arms. “One more thing; can we not tell people right away? I think it would be better if we let ourselves get used to  _ this, _ ” he gestures between them, ”first. Before dealing with anyone else.” By which he means Jongdae, specifically. He heads back to his room, fetching his shoes.

“No problem.” Jongin grins after him, “I need to make myself believe that I’m not still dreaming, so a few days will probably be good.”

 

After washing his face again, Kyungsoo leaves the house, with Jongin in tow. Kyungsoo is anxious to get into work as quickly as possible, so he sets a brisk pace, leading Jongin along by the hand. Jongin lingers close by on the subway, despite it being quieter than their usual time, and it makes Kyungsoo giddy. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, sure that he shouldn’t be allowed to be happy like this with everything at stake.

Just before they enter their office, Jongdae comes barrelling out of his office.

“Kyungsoo! Jongin!” He says, “have you heard anything from Chanyeol?”

“Uh, no?” Kyungsoo says, mouth turning down, “why, is there something wrong?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. I just haven’t heard anything from him yet, and Sehun hasn’t posted to Celestegram yet. I was just getting worried- usually Sehun posts something every day.” Kyungsoo frowns. Hopefully that just means they’ve been too busy, not that something awful has happened. Oh god, in the emotional turmoil of last night and this morning, he had almost forgotten all about him.

"We can go visit Chanyeol in the hospital, if you like?"

"That’s a good idea. Will put my mind at ease." Jongdae says, "it's my fault that he was out there anyway." He looks terrible. A hangover and acute worry will do that to a man. 

“It wasn’t your fault that he went out there. He chose to be a hero.” Kyungsoo says. Jongdae hums dejectedly, and Kyungsoo pats him on the arm without a word; it  _ wasn’t  _ his fault, but Kyungsoo knows nothing he says can convince him otherwise. 

“We’ll head over there after work, ok?” Kyungsoo promises, squeezing his arm in a way that he hopes is reassuring. Jongdae nods slowly.

“Ok. You’re right.”

“Have you tried messaging either of them?” Jongin pitches in. Jongdae nods,

“Yeah, but they haven’t seen my messages It could just be that there’s bad wifi at the hospital or something? I don’t know.”

“That’s probably it.” Jongin say, “I doubt would be anything wrong; you would have heard about it from somewhere.”

“I guess so.” Jongdae sighs deeply, “I just feel responsible for him, you know? He’s like a nephew or another cousin or something. I didn’t mean for any of you to end up in the situation you got stuck in. I’m sorry for setting you two up, as well by the way, that was insensitive of me as well.”

“Jongdae…” Kyungsoo’s mouth falls agape. He’s never known him to be so upset over something, and he’s certainly not the type to apologise. If it weren’t a serious situation, he would make a joke about wishing he had recorded that. “You don’t need to apologise for that, you were just trying to help. And, I mean, it kind of helped?” He looks to Jongin, checking that it’s ok to say this, “me and Jongin talked about a few things, and we understand each other more now.” Vague, but not a lie. Jongin raises one eyebrow, and Kyungsoo mouths ‘soon’ at him.

“Yeah? I’m glad.” He rubs his hands together, a nervous tick. “Right then, I suppose I had better get back to work. I’ll see you guys later?”

“Yeah. We can all go to the hospital together, maybe get food after?” Kyungsoo suggests. Jongdae nods, smiling wanly. 

“Sounds good. See you later.” He says, mock saluting them before going back into his office. Jongin and Kyungsoo stand there for a moment, before Jongin takes Kyungsoo’s hand, which has his card in, and swipes the scanner for him.

“Hey!” Kyungsoo squawks, pretending to smack him, before heading inside. “Ugh, I hope Chanyeol really is doing alright.” He says, putting down his laptop bag on his desk.

“He’ll be fine.” Jongin says, rubbing Kyungsoo’s back like it’s the most casual thing in the world. Kyungsoo purses his lips so he doesn’t smile.

“I hope so. Anyway, let’s get back to it, shall we?” Jongin nods, spreading out sheets of paper and pulling his chair up closer to Kyungsoo’s. 

Just looking at the spell makes him feel tired again. He’s not alone, though. 

They can do this.

 

Jongin gnaws on his lip in concentration. His tail flicks like a cat watching its prey, which, Kyungsoo supposes he kinda  _ is _ .

They’ve been at this for almost two hours now, poring over all the annotated sheets Kyungsoo had made.

"Uuh… what about this?" Jongin points at one of the symbols on the page, one that Kyungsoo had annotated positively.

"What about it?" He leans over Jongin's shoulder, peering at it. It's the only one of its kind that they've used.

"Maybe we could try narrowing things down and only using spell designs which have all the positives and none of the negatives?"

"Already doing that." Kyungsoo sighs.

"Well, the right combination will turn up sooner or later, right? If we keep narrowing it down every time one fails, then we'll have it even quicker?"

"I guess? I was hoping for something more… decisive than that." Kyungsoo admits weakly. Jongin purses his lips and hums again.

"Could we just scrap the whole thing? Would it be possible to design a completely new spell?"

"That would take even longer." Kyungsoo moans, shaking his head vehemently, "we can't do that."

Jongin rubs his face. "I kind of understand how you're feeling then. This isn't easy, huh?" He and Kyungsoo both stare at the mess of papers, as if waiting for something to jump out of them.

Suddenly, Jongin pushes his chair backwards and opens the drawer where the old tome filled with ancient circles lies, pulling it out. He drops it on the table, where it lands loudly, sending a few sheets of paper to the floor. Disgruntled, Kyungsoo reaches down to pick them up, as Jongin scours the contents page.

"What page is it?" He asks distractedly.

"Two hundred and twenty four. Why?"

"I just want to have a look at this." He says, flipping carefully through the delicate leafs of paper until he reaches the right one.

The image has haunted Kyungsoo's every waking moment ever since he took this project. It's dense and crowded, each tiny symbol taunting him.

"The circle has to stay the same, sure, but do you think the direction of the lines could be changed? I notice that all of the variations with the new, modern symbols are sticking to this same pattern, but what if you need to, say… rework the wiring?" He makes a face, “I don’t know much in depth spell stuff, so that might be me barking up the wrong tree.”

Kyungsoo considers that for a moment. It would mean more work, sure, but it’s a possibility. Why hasn't he thought of doing that before? Maybe all the stress has fried his brain.

"Let’s give it a shot." He shrugs, pushing aside the old book to free up space.

 

Kyungsoo isn't a fan of hospitals. He doesn't hate them, per say, he just doesn't like them much. They always have the same smell of cleaning products and sickness. 

After work, he, Jongin and Jongdae had bundled into a taxi together and split the fare between them. Though Jongdae had tried to insist that he should pay for it.

The city hospital is huge and has been refurbished so many times that it looks like a patchwork of different architectural styles. Kyungsoo has only been here a few times; once when he broke his arm as a child, and then again when his dad needed a knee operation.

It still feels as large and overwhelming as he remembers. He reaches for Jongin’s hand.

"I'll go ask the secretary what room he's in." Jongdae volunteers, while Kyungsoo and Jongin hang back.

"Do you think he'll be ok to have visitors so soon?" Jongin asks quietly and Kyungsoo shrugs.

It turns out that Chanyeol is in a room by himself, on the third floor, in one of the more recently built rooms. 

When they arrive, Sehun is already in there, talking softly to him while holding one of his hands in both of his own. The burns look terrible; his skin has erupted in blisters, and red-purple colouration extends past his face and underneath his hospital gown. Kyungsoo can hardly bear to look at him; the pain must be unimaginable. Patches of his hair are missing and there's a gash across his cheek from what Kyungsoo can only assume is shrapnel.

Both of them look up in surprise when they enter, halting their conversation.

"What are you doing here?" Chanyeol asks, completely shocked. Jongdae splutters.

"Am I not allowed to visit my favourite intern while he's in hospital?" He gasps melodramatically, "especially when it's partly my fault that he's in here?"

"It's not your fault!" Chanyeol exclaims, jostling himself and putting himself in pain. Sehun scolds him instantly.

"Chanyeol, don't move! The nurses told you to lie as still as possible." He says, the look on his face making Kyungsoo and the others feel like intruders. They stand in the doorway as their bickering unfolds, unsure whether they should move in and sit on the cheap, uncomfortable seats, or just wait until they're done. 

"But that's so  _ boring _ ." Chanyeol whines, somehow managing to pout despite all the burns.

"It's for your own good." Sehun insists, "I don't want you hurting more than you need to." He directs his attention to the new occupants, at last. "Please don't agitate him too much, ok?"

"Sehun." Chanyeol sends him a meaningful look.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry." Sehun slumps down, dejected.

"Anyway. What are you guys doing here?" Chanyeol repeats, looking them up and down, "and why haven't you brought me anything? I thought you were supposed to bring invalids, gifts when you come to see them."

"I'm sorry, we kinda rushed over here, we'll bring something next time." Jongdae promises, holding his hands up, placating, "what do you want, fruit?"

"No, I want candy. My mum already said she'd bring me fruit." Chanyeol says, shifting eagerly, "can I request specific ones? I want those spicy chocolate thingies and those really sour ones! I think they're called Disasters? And the ones where they change colour when you lick them, and-"

"Ok, ok, we'll get you an assortment of candy." Jongdae laughs, moving in closer to sit on Chanyeol's other side, "how are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Chanyeol says, beaming brightly. Kyungsoo has known him for long enough to see the tightness around his eyes, making it obvious how much he is concealing his pain. 

"That's… not good."

"It's not, but apparently I can get more skin grafts soon, which will help the healing process."

"'More'?" Jongdae echoes, taken aback.

"Yeah, when I first got here, during the surgery to get the broken gun bits out of me, they did some on the worst bits of the burns-look," he pushes aside his hospital gown so that they can see a pale section of skin, grafted across his chest, “it came from my butt.” He says proudly, “cool, huh?”

"Uh, yeah." Kyungsoo smiles a wobbly smile, trying not to look too long, so it doesn't get imprinted in his memory. Fake blood and gore in horror movies is fine, laughable even, but real stuff makes him feel ill. Jongdae looks like he's in pain as well just from looking at the damage.

"What are they planning to do next?" Jongin asks, interested. Of course he would be. Even if he’s just putting it on to make Chanyeol feel better.

"They're going to do more of the ones on my neck and shoulders. Then they're going to grow some new skin using a restoration spell or something. I'm a bit foggy on the details. They had to use skin already available because it was an emergency, but I think there are cosmetic restoration spells or something I could get to improve things? I'm not really sure."

"Is it less painful on the grafted bits?" Jongin moves in a bit closer to see it up close. Kyungsoo catches Sehun’s eye over his shoulder and they share a look of exasperation. 

"It's tender and really sore, but it doesn't feel like it's still burning like the rest of it." He says, "I have a fancy antibiotic or whatever cream which I have to put on like, every hour."

"Does that help?"

"Well, it stops it from drying out and numbs some of the pain, so yeah." Chanyeol tries to shrug and winces. Sehun scowls at him.

"How long do you have to stay here?" Jongdae asks, wringing his hands together.

"Uhhh, my next operation is scheduled for a week? Then I have to make sure that I heal properly. The doctors said I’m stuck here  a month, max, unless I have complications."

"If it's any consolation," Jongin begins, "you looked really cool out there. When you deflected the lightning with your bare hands? That was  _ incredible _ ." Chanyeol beams at him.

"Have you seen any videos of it? Surely someone must have been recording." Chanyeol asks, curious. Sehun doesn't look very impressed. He must have a very different set of feeling towards it, having been held back as he watched him almost get killed. Kyungsoo isn’t sure he wants to relive the situation either.

"I don't know, is there internet here?" Jongin pulls out his phone, "I'll look it up for you."

"Awesome." Chanyeol smiles. How he's still so optimistic about this, Kyungsoo doesn't know, but it tugs at his heartstrings.

“There is internet, but it’s shitty-” Sehun replies, “I saw your messages, Jongdae, I wanted to respond but when I got home last night I passed out, and then I got caught up today-” 

“It’s alright.” Jongdae says, his smile pitying. It’s been a busy few days. 

While Jongin finds a decent video, Chanyeol explains his operation bit more in detail, which has Kyungsoo wrinkling his nose, and Jongin sniggering at his reaction.

"I have a question." Kyungsoo changes the subject, pulling a plastic chair from the other side of the room, finally, "how bad is this going to affect your exams? Aren't they in, like, two weeks?" Chanyeol's face drops.

"Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about that. I guess I'll need to call the office and see what I can do. I think you can sit exams in the hospital, right?" He asks, but Kyungsoo doesn't know and can only shrug. Chanyeol stares pensively at his burnt, scarred fingers.

"Look, I found one!" Jongin exclaims, "it's a bit shaky and I think it was taken from behind some people, but look-" He holds it up so Chanyeol can see. Kyungsoo leans over so he can see, he had been otherwise occupied at that time, so he didn't see any of this as it happened. His mouth falls open.

In the grainy video, he can see Chanyeol's dark back, his hands glowing with liquid fire. He looks so scared, even from this distance, even without seeing his face, but then he seems to square up, straightening his shoulders. A Hanjurian terrorist raises their gun, aiming at him and Chanyeol raises his hands defensively.

"I was trying to tell them that they didn't need to hurt anyone, but I don't think they could even understand me." He whispers.

The screen explodes in white-blue light, blocking out everything for a second and when it dies down, Chanyeol is on the ground, a little ways back from where he started.

"The video is a bit disappointing," Jongin says, "it was incredible, they shot lightning at him and he just... he just sort of grabbed it and threw it aside? I've never seen anything like it."

"I had this grand idea that I was going to throw it back at them, but it hurt more than I expected, so I panicked and let it go wrong." Chanyeol chuckles bashfully.

The Chanyeol in the video tries to scramble away from an approaching terrorist and recasts the fire spell on his gloves, trying to push away the gun. Kyungsoo had seen this part and he knows what's coming. He looks at Jongdae instead, who is as white as a sheet. He's already heard this stuff relayed to him, but it's not the same as seeing it. The sound of the explosion on Jongin's phone is muffled and doesn't really do it justice. The vibrations had made him almost misdraw the spell.

"I'm honestly surprised I'm even alive, right now." Chanyeol shakes his head, awed.

"What  _ happened  _ there?" Jongdae asks, voice small.

"I melted the end of the gun and blocked it off. When he fired it, the whole thing exploded."

"It was terrifying. I thought I'd lost him." Sehun mumbles, eyes glistening with tears. Chanyeol squeezes his hand.

"I'm sorry."

"You're not forgiven yet." Sehun pouts, "I'm not forgiving you until you heal up properly." At this, Chanyeol sticks out his lower lip, pitifully. Kyungsoo gets the distinct impression that this isn't the first time this has come up.

"Don't you think I was brave?" He wheedles.

"More like stupid." Sehun scoffs, looking away.

"But Sehunnie~. I’m a viral internet star now." He blinks cutely, a look difficult to pull off with most of his face covered with horrific burn marks. Somehow, he manages and Kyungsoo thinks that's a testament to the young man's natural charm.

Jongdae is still staring uncomfortably at Chanyeol's wounds. Kyungsoo nudges his leg with his foot.

"It really isn't your fault." He says lowly, not wanting Chanyeol to hear him, not that he's likely to, as Jongin continues to regale him with compliments to cheer him up. Jongdae shrugs.

"How was your spell, today?" He asks, changing the subject. Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose.

"I think we're onto something now." Kyungsoo says, "because Jongin wasn't formally taught how to do spellwork, he pointed something out that could be a game changer. It's so simple, I feel stupid for not having thought of it myself."

"That's good news." Jongdae tries to sound happy for him, but it sounds forced. Kyungsoo sympathises.

"It is. Hopefully, we can get this spell functioning before anything else like this happens." He says firmly. They can't  _ not _ . Just looking at Chanyeol is a testament to the fact that they're in desperate need of this spell, not to mention all the other people that have been hurt or killed thus far.

They stay in the hospital room, talking about this and that, for about an hour and a half. A nurse sticks their head around the door, warning them that visiting hours will be over soon. They all agree that they might as well go home and get some rest, since they have work the next day. Sehun stays a few minutes longer, knowing that he's going to get kicked out but wanting to spend a few more minutes with his boyfriend alone. Chanyeol calls after them as they leave,

"Goodbye!! Next time I see you, you better have the candy! Don't forget!" He stares at them intently.

"Of course we won't forget!" Jongdae says, "we'll get you so much that we'll have to split it between us to sneak it in here, how does that sound?"

"Perfect." Chanyeol grins, all teeth. 

All three of them wave at them, before closing the door. Jongdae seems to sag with relief.

"He seems like he's going to be ok." He says at last.

"Of course he will be." Jongin says, slinging one arm over his shoulder. Kyungsoo follows suite, snaking an arm around Jongdae's waist so he's sandwiched between them while they walk.

"Hey, this isn't right. I should be the one comforting you guys." Jongdae says, sounding a little choked up.

"You know what." Kyungsoo teases, pulling away, "you're right. Where are my consolatory hugs? Do we get a basket of gifts? Huh?"

"Don't push your luck." Jongdae sticks his tongue out, "you may have saved hundreds of citizens, but don't think for a second that that means you're worthy of a candy bar."

 

Kyungsoo is sat cross-legged on his bed, going through his notes again. His bedroom door is open, and he can hear Jongin pottering around doing something in the living room. Although things are starting to fall into place, there's still lots of behind the scenes work that needs to be done. He writes something down, then crosses it out when he realises he's already made that observation before. Ugh, progress is slow this evening. They made a decent amount of headway during the day, but he's not getting anywhere right now. He's going to get forehead wrinkles at this rate.

"Kyungsoo?" Jongin calls through, popping his head around the door frame, "have you eaten anything yet?" Kyungsoo rubs his eyes, and looks up blearily, shaking his head.

"I'll eat in a minute, I just want to finish this." Kyungsoo mumbles, turning back to the paper at hand. Jongin purses his lips, but lets him carry on. Kyungsoo knows he'll be back in a few minutes if he doesn't make an appearance soon, so he writes down what he's working on, and hops off his bed, making sure not to disturb or crinkle the sheets of paper as he does so.

Jongin scanning the fridge for something to eat- when he first moved in, Kyungsoo gave him the bottom two shelves to use, but somewhere down the line the boundaries blurred, and now they both share all of it.

"Did you have something in mind?" Kyungsoo asks, nudging Jongin to the side so he can look too. "How about curry? We have meat."

"But we have barely any vegetables." Jongin says.

"I have a jar of pre-made sauce in the cupboard, and there's onions, it will be fine." Kyungsoo says, pulling a few things out onto the countertop.

"If you say so." Jongin snorts.

"Alright, if 'whatever curry' isn't good enough for you, you can go hungry." Kyungsoo snaps, regretting it a second later, "sorry. I didn't mean that."

"It's ok. I take it you're stressing yourself out, in there?" He inclines his head towards Kyungsoo's bedroom. "Maybe you should bring it out here to work on it, I could give you a hand."

"Hm. Maybe." Kyungsoo considers it. It  _ is  _ getting tiresome, hiding away in his room all the time, but Jongin is too good at distracting him. "Can you get down the cooking pot?"

"Of course, babe." Jongin hums, reaching up into the highest cupboard. Kyungsoo snorts.

"Since when were we using pet names? Should I call you kitten?"

"That's offensive." Jongin pouts, placing the retrieved pot on the stove, ready.

"Why? You're calling me babe, which is the young version of human, kitten is the young version of a cat?"

"I don't really like having my status as a were-cat pointed out like that. I was pretty young when I found out that were-animals are a category of porn, and it kind of weirds me out."

"Oh. Did I make you uncomfortable asking to stroke your ears that one time? I didn't think of that, I'm really sorry-"

"No, it's ok. You didn't know." Jongin closes in behind him, slipping his arms around his waist and tucking his head into his neck. His hot breath against Kyungsoo's skin makes him fumble with the knife for a moment, but he manages to avoid making a fool of himself. He thinks back to the first morning they shared together- how he had imagined this very scenario, and flushes to the roots of his hair.

"W-what should I call you then?"

"Anything you like that's not kitten." Jongin says. Kyungsoo can physically  _ feel  _ his voice, the vibrations making his spine tingle. He shivers.

"Duckie?"

"No. What is it with you and animals?"

“Sooo… I’m guessing you won’t like ‘teddy bear’ either, then?”

“You guessed right.” Jongin says, holding back a laugh.

“How about…..pudding?” Kyungsoo ponders, sidestepping so he can deposit the chopped onions into the pot.

“So we’re moving onto foods, now?”

“Yes. Keep up, my lil yogurt cup.” Jongin snorts, laughing so hard he has to let Kyungsoo go. Kyungsoo just watches, grinning widely. It feels nice to have made Jongin so happy.

 

It only takes four days of work before they start seeing results from Jongin's idea. It isn't immediate and not even a dramatic change, but the slight tweaks make the spell more cohesive as a whole. Kyungsoo goes into work each morning now with excitement bubbling inside him; any day now could be the day they finally make it work!

The prospect of it being completed brings Kyungsoo onto the next phase of the project, which he hadn't thought about very much before: once it's completed, it will need to go through rigorous tests, to see just how much it can withstand. If it can't stand up to the heat of battle, it will need to come back for reworking, but that's unlikely, given the nature of the spell. New ones have to be shared back and  forth several times, but since this is an old one, Kyungsoo is 75% sure that it will be fine.

True to Jongdae's word, all three of them pitched in to buy Chanyeol as much candy and chocolate that they thought he could handle and visited him again. This time, he had a selection of 'get well soon' cards on the bedside table, along with a fancy basket of fruit and what Kyungsoo assumed to be some of his personal belongings. Sehun had probably brought them in for him. Chanyeol had been so excited to open the plastic bag that a nurse actually came in to see what all the commotion was about. The silly boy had frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights, but the nurse had pressed their finger to their lips and promised to keep it a secret.

 

It feels like just another normal day at work today. Sure it's drizzling, and the weather is getting colder, but seeing Jongin with his hair wet from the rain is adorable. He feels good about their progress at the moment.

"You had the option to use both an umbrella  _ and  _ coat with a hood, but you chose not to." Kyungsoo reminds him, trying not to laugh at the bedraggled man. His hair sticks to his forehead and his ears lay flat on his head. He looks downright miserable.

"I didn't think it would be this bad!" Jongin complains, dabbing at his hair with his already sodden sleeve, and making not a lick of difference. He peels himself out of his jacket and Kyungsoo wishes he wasn't wearing a sheer, white shirt today, because it's not exactly doing wonders for his sanity. With his mental state in a better place now, Kyungsoo is finding himself thinking more and more about Jongin in this way. His showers take longer  than usual, and he’s not sure if Jongin has caught on as to why, just yet.

"I  _ told _ you-" Kyungsoo begins, only to be cut off.

"I know, I know." Jongin tips his head back and moans,  Kyungsoo tries not to see the sensuality of the move. "I might go dry off a bit in the bathroom before we get started, that ok?" He asks, looking back at Kyungsoo. He gulps.

"Sure." It will give him time to refocus on persuading himself that despite the progress they're making, they really don't have the time for Kyungsoo to start kissing him out of nowhere.

"Alright, I'll be back in a little while then." He announces, hanging up his soaked jacket and leaving. Kyungsoo watches him go and sags into his chair afterwards, sighing. Preparing for the day of research and testing they have ahead, Kyungsoo pulls out his workbook and all of the notes that he and Jongin collaboratively made.

Chanyeol's second operation is scheduled for this afternoon, he recalls. He had seemed a bit nervous about it, but Jongin and Sehun spent a full twenty minutes regaling him with reminders that if he can stand up to Hanjurian soldiers, then he can handle an operation that he won't even be awake for. Kyungsoo hopes it goes well.

Twenty minutes later, Jongin returns, dry and happy.

"You ready to get started?" He says, pulling up a chair. Kyungsoo smiles and nods.

"I'm picking up where we left off yesterday, you try tweaking this one." Kyungsoo points at the avenue he wants Jongin to take. 

It's not long before he picks up one of the ink pens and begins to draw out the spell, carefully looking back to check that he's following the instructions correctly. Kyungsoo sneaks looks at him while he works, his gaze following the line of his long fingers all the way up to the elegant column of his neck. Jongin clears his throat, as if he can feel Kyungsoo looking and he stiffens up, turning back to his work instantly. He feels like a high-schooler, staring at his crush. Except, he's pretty sure that he graduated from  _ crush  _ to  _ in love _ a long time ago. He clenches his fists, exasperated with himself; this isn’t the  _ time _ for this! 

With great difficulty, Kyungsoo forces himself to finish the spell he's working on and by the time he's halfway through the second one, he's hit his rhythm. The plan is to actually cast these in the afternoon, when they have a handful to do, then spend the rest of the afternoon evaluating what went wrong in each of them. During lunch, Kyungsoo eats his meal quickly and learns that Sehun has already sent Jongdae a message about Chanyeol's operation, and Jongdae is eager to show them. It's a selfie of him pulling a face next to Chanyeol's unconscious body, about to go into the surgery, only showing half of Sehun's face.

"He always takes his selfies like that. Every time Chanyeol shows me pictures of him, it's only a bit of his face." Joonmyeon comments, looking confused, "why doesn't he just get his whole face in there?"

"It's his artistic take on… something." Jongdae shrugs, "I don't know, but if you want to ask him, be my guest. Maybe wait until his boyfriend is out of the hospital safe first, though. He seems like the type to take it personally." Joonmyeon rolls his eyes, smiling.

"I just don't understand kids these days."

"Joonmyeon… you're only thirty." Kyungsoo stares at him in disbelief. The man sticks out his tongue at them, teasingly.

"I’m thirty six. I know, I'm old." He says, in a wheezy voice, "I just don't understand this generation anymore."

"You need to get an Celestegram account." Jongdae says, "I have one, even if I don't use it very much. Sehun posts a lot on there. Chanyeol does as well."

"I've never heard of this." Joonmyeon looks at him, clueless. Kyungsoo knows  it, but he doesn't have one.

"Oh! My sister has one of those!" Jongin exclaims excitedly, "she posts pictures of my niece on there, she's  _ so  _ cute! Lemme show you!" He excitedly pulls out his phone, "I don't have an account, but I save all the pictures she sends me. Look, she's adorable, right?" He shows everyone a picture of a tiny girl, playing peek-a-boo behind a blanket. Kyungsoo doesn't like kids that much, but even he has to admit that she's really cute. There's a picture of the same girl with a huge bow on her head, and another of her eating what looks like chocolate cake, maybe for her birthday? The last one is of Jongin holding her, blowing a raspberry on her cheek, while she giggles hysterically. Kyungsoo's heart melts.

"You'd make a great dad." Jongdae comments, slyly eyeing Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo scowls at him, not wanting to reveal that he completely agrees.

"Ohh, you think so?" Jongin smiles bashfully, cheeks colouring a little.

"Yeah I do." Jongdae enthuses, grinning gleefully, "would you ever settle down with anyone?"

"Uh… Yeah?" Jongin shrugs, face now a burning red. Kyungsoo wants to dive in and save him from embarrassment, but that wouldn't help at all. It’s not like they’re really keeping anything a secret anymore, but he doesn’t want to reveal anything in the middle of the cafeteria, especially not when Jongdae is going to be loud about it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason." Jongdae says airily, "no reason at all."

"Oookayy?" Jongin slowly pulls his phone away, and locks the screen, "anyway, we should probably get back to work." Kyungsoo feels like he's raised him well.

"You sure you don't want to stay a few minutes longer?" Kyungsoo says, "next he'll start asking you questions about your sex life." The moment he realises what he's just alluded to, he can feel himself turning crimson too. The only event he could be referring to, that Kyungsoo knows of at least, is  _ that  _ night.

"No. I think we should go." Jongin is already standing up, but Jongdae looks like the cat who got the cream, his eyes literally sparkling. Even Joonmyeon looks interested.

"Oh, no- I want to hear more about this." Jongdae says, raising his voice as Jongin and Kyungsoo walk away, "hey! Get back here and tell me about your sex life!"

Kyungsoo has never been so desperate to close a door in someone's face before.

The pair of them are totally silent until they reach the elevator, before Kyungsoo can’t hold it in anymore, and start laughing. Jongin watches amused, but he’s clearly holding himself back.

“We should probably tell them soon, huh?” Kyungsoo says.

“Don’t you want to wait until we actually  _ have  _ a sex life, before we start spilling details like that?” Jongin teases. 

“Jongin! Not at work.” Scolds Kyungsoo. Their affection so far as been, for the most part, limited to cutesy wake-up forehead kisses, and lots of hugging. Kyungsoo can understand that he might want more; he does too.

“I know, I know.” Jongin singsongs, as they enter their floor. “But yeah, we should tell them.”

“Any idea how?” Kyungsoo muses, wondering how to break it to Jongdae so that he doesn’t make fun of them.

“Just...tell them? Not everything has to be difficult.” Jongin says, “you like to make things more complicated than they need to be.”

“I guess. Next time we get the chance, then?” Jongin smiles, placing a quick kiss on his lips.

“Yeah. Alright." Jongin sighs, leaning his hands against the table, "let's get back to it, then, huh? Which one should we start with?"

"Uhh." Kyungsoo looks around dumbly and points to the one on the top of the pile, "this one?"

"Yeah. Ok." Jongin stands on the other side of Kyungsoo's desk and places his palms on the paper, his fingertips touching the edge of the circle.

They catch each other's eyes, but the look only lasts an instant. Time and a place, Kyungsoo tells himself. He rolls his shoulders, squaring himself up to start casting this spell. Shutting his eyes, he lets his magic flow through him, bubbling and vibrant. It activates, but doesn't cast. As usual. Some of the lines and directions still need tweaking so, Kyungsoo continues to push magic into it, despite it being resistant, to see if he can feel out where the problem lies. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. Today he can sense that it's failing in one of the final stages of the spell, more to do with what the spell protects from. They already nailed what it sticks to, and the energy source, almost a week ago now. It's exciting, having things improve this quickly.

The spell fails like Kyungsoo had fully expected it to, but they learned more at least. He is already hastily scribbling annotations to remind him of what worked, and where they could improve. Jongin tugs on the corner of the spell underneath, and Kyungsoo raises his pen for a moment to let him slide it out; but is back to writing furiously the moment it's gone. He scratches his head with the other end of the pen: what if they pulled back the line connecting the second source to the adhesion so it didn't run so  _ close  _ to the adhesion? They could try that later. He makes a note of it and grabs a highlighter from his pen-pot, circling it in luminescent yellow.

"Next one?" He asks, when he's finished. Jongin nods, already waiting for him. Kyungsoo smiles, slapping his hands down and closing his eyes. This one doesn't work either, but it solidifies his idea from earlier. They cast the other spells that they made up that morning, but once they're done, Kyungsoo is desperate to test out this new idea. He ignores Jongin’s warning that he's going to exhaust himself again; he  _ needs _ to know if this helps things or makes it worse. Jongin sits sideways on his seat, silently watching Kyungsoo draw the final spell of the day. Or at least, it will be if Jongin has anything to say about it. It's a little distracting, having his attention on him, but he tunes it out so he doesn't make silly mistakes.

He feels good about this one. Even if it isn't  _ The One _ , this could narrow it down enough for them to finish the spell within days. Days! Kyungsoo almost feels sad that it's ending, but he can't let himself get carried away. He has to actually make sure it works, first.

Adding the final touches, Kyungsoo holds it out in front of him, fanning it with his hand so it will dry quicker.

"Looks good to me." Jongin says, impressed. Kyungsoo looks over it critically. The spell looks so completely different to its predecessor, and honestly, it looks a little messy. The lines crisscross like a spiderweb, but that's nothing they can't fix given a little more time.

"Ready to try it?" Kyungsoo asks softly. Jongin nods and stands up, laying his hands out. Kyungsoo likes how much of a routine this has become.

He breathes out through his nose, having to push to get the energy to leave his body this time round. He keeps pushing.

It doesn't stop. The spell doesn't halt awkwardly, or cause a blockage.

"Kyungsoo!" Jongin shouts. Kyungsoo opens his eyes.

The first thing he sees is Jongin eyes, wide from elation. He stares back at him stupidly, mouth wide open, before something in his brain turns on. It isn't very clear what he's looking at, at first: the barrier itself is difficult to see, but when he tilts his head he can see the hazy, almost glow, of the barrier. It's small, due to the restriction spells built into the building itself, but definitely there.

Kyungsoo blinks twice, processing the information.

It's working. He was right. The spell  _ works _ !

He lets out a sound that is somewhere between a laugh and a whoop, and takes his hands away from the spell in favour of running them through his hair. Is he crying? He might be crying. He feels euphoric and his hands are shaking. Jongin is laughing from sheer disbelief as he rounds the table, hands falling heavily on Kyungsoo's shoulders.

"Yes!" He whispers shouts, "YES!" He shouts a little louder, bouncing on his toes. He reaches up, taking hold of Jongin's head and pulling him closer so that their mouths meet in the middle, as he stands on his toes. Jongin freezes for a second, before melting against him, wrapping him in his arms. Kyungsoo pulls away, and Jongin's eyes flutter open, his lips just barely parted. He looks shocked, but not for long- he ducks down for another kiss, humming softly.

“Congratulations.” He murmurs, swinging Kyungsoo from side to side. Kyungsoo wriggles away from him, hardly able to stand still, and paces back and forth excitedly. They've  _ done _ it! He lets out a sharp breath, not sure what to do with his hands now that he's not holding onto Jongin. He musses up his own hair, laughing breathily.

"What now?" Jongin asks, watching him wander back and forth with mirth. Kyungsoo bites his lip, mind running through the process of finalising the spell design. They still need to check it over a few times, to make absolutely sure that there's no way it could go wrong. Then he'll have to report his progress to his boss. He shivers, anticipating writing a report that's no longer 'nothing to report' or just minimal progress. 

After that, they wait for the green light to take the spell down to the testing arena, outside of the main city itself. Kyungsoo has only been there once, when he first got the job; it's not really anything more than a huge expanse of dirt land, burnt and charred from being used so often to test all kinds of offensive magic.

He explains all of this to Jongin, who listens intently.

"So it isn't all over, just like that?" He purses his lips.

"Well, we still need to do a few more things, yeah." He says, "I think we should report this as soon as possible, though."

"How do we do that?" Jongin asks, "is there a form we need to fill in?"

"I'll send off an email, let me just get it up on my laptop." Kyungsoo raises the lid of his computer, fingers feverish as he waits for everything to load. It feels like the machine is operating slowly on purpose to keep him waiting. He looks up at Jongin and wishes he hadn't, the man is looking at Kyungsoo in a way that has him blushing to the roots of his hair. He ducks his head, and clicks on his work email icon, ignoring the heat creeping over his body.

His message to his boss is concise:

 

_ To Mr. Kim _

 

_ The abjuration spell is functional. Requesting permission for access to testing grounds asap. _

 

_ Regards, Do Kyungsoo. _

 

"There." Kyungsoo hits the send button with a flourish, and wishes that his chair could spin, because if it was, he would go  _ wild _ . "Sent."

Jongin's expression is one of fondness. "We really did it." he says again, softly. Jongin nods.

"I can't wait to tell Jongdae. He'll insist that we go out for drinks again to celebrate." He bites his lip, exaggeratedly. In too good of a mood to rise to the bait that Jongin is clearly setting, Kyungsoo clears his throat.

"I'd be up for it.." He says, causing Jongin to raise his eyebrows.

"Really?" He leans back, folding his arms across his chest, "success changes a person, I guess."

"Don't  _ you  _ feel like a new person?" Kyungsoo asks, all these rapid mood switches suddenly catching up on him, leaving him feeling drained but still happy. Like he just got of a fairground ride- if he tried to walk now, he might stumble, but he'd still be laughing all the same.

"I guess so." Jongin nods, considering this, "this whole job was kind of a learning experience. I'm glad I could help out and say I had a hand in keeping our country safe. I never really considered myself patriotic before, but I feel that now."

"It's good, huh?" He's never had the high of a job well done quite feel this good, likely because he's never worked on a single job for this long before. Kyungsoo sighs happily, glancing back at the finished, probably fully functional spell. 

His computer pings and his phone vibrates in his pocket at the same time, which means he's received a new message. A reply so soon? Kyungsoo is flattered, they must have his email on high priority list.

"What does it say?" Jongin leans in closer to get a better look, resting his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

The reply is also short and to the point.

 

_ To Mr. Do Kyungsoo _

 

_ Morning slots are booked for you this coming Thursday and the following Friday, from 9:30-12. _

 

_ Sincerely, _

_ Mr Kim _

 

Kyungsoo quickly types out a thank you response, biting his lip as he does so.

So soon? That's only two days away. He can't believe it. Usually there's a waiting list of several weeks, he hopes that he isn't pushing aside anything important, or that he isn't going to create some bad blood within the department for this.

He looks up to see Jongin putting his phone into his pocket. He wouldn't have otherwise questioned it, but about two minutes later, what seems like the entire Department of Experimental Magic is crowding into his room, headed by Jongdae. What the hell? Kyungsoo casts Jongin a look, who only shrugs sheepishly.

"Kyungsoo!" Jongdae bounds over to him, picking him up in a bear hug, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah, congratulations!" Joonmyeon adds behind him. “Uhh?” Kyungsoo is tongue tied. Soon he is caught up in a whirlpool of co-workers, all wanting to give him their congratulations. He shakes at least ten hands- how many people are in Jongdae's department?! Surely all these people are from other departments as well?

Almost all of them express their concern at how much better he looks than before; apparently everyone had been watching him stress out from afar. He's kind of touched that so many people even  _ noticed  _ him.

"Drinks tonight! First round on me!" Jongdae yells, to the cheers of everyone in the room, except Kyungsoo who is still a bit overwhelmed. A hand on his arm make him jump, but it's just Jongin. He feels a little more grounded now.

"Alright!" Jongin calls out above the hubbub, "get back to your own department now, we still have shit to do!" His announcement it met with a ripple of laughter, and it takes a few minutes for everyone to finally trickle out, except for Jongdae. He perches on the edge of Kyungsoo's desk, Jongin's is too rickety to put much weight on.

"Seriously, I'm so impressed. I thought you'd never get that thing finished." He shakes his head, staring between them considerately, "it looks like a piece of shit, but as long as it works, I guess that's all that matters." Jongdae meant it humorously, but they had to agree that it does look a little like chicken scratch.

"It's still got some  _ refining _ to go through." Kyungsoo defends. Jongdae nods.

"A lot of refining." He agrees, "I don't know if that will ever look as tidy as a military grade spell, though."

"It doesn't have to, really." Kyungsoo says. It  _ doesn't _ , but he wishes it  _ was  _ nicer to look at. Tidy, neat looking spells are a point of pride in spell maker's communities. It makes them easier to redraw if they aren't lopsided, asymmetrical scrawling messes. Jongdae purses his lips, as if to say 'whatever you want to believe' and gets down from the table.

"Well." He says, looking between the both of them, "I have work to be doing, but I'll see you when we leave. Shall we all meet up in the foyer and walk together?"

"Yeah, sure." Kyungsoo agrees easily. He's already excited.

"Same place as last time? Or somewhere different." Jongin asks, "I still haven't seen much of the city's nightlife."

"Somewhere new, then, I think. How about a club?" He leers at them, eyebrows wiggling.

"How about no." Kyungsoo forms a cross with his arms, "I don't want to pay extortionate amounts for cocktails. Plus, we both know what  _ you're _ like when you get on a dance floor."

"Fair point. I'll think about it then. See you later!" He mock salutes them as he leaves.

“Oh wait!” Kyungsoo says, grabbing Jongin’s hand as he recalls their decision from earlier. Jongdae pauses in the doorway, zoning in on their linked hands. He raises one eyebrow, a slow, gleeful, grin rising on his face.

“We have something to tell you,” Kyungsoo announces shyly, waiting for Jongdae to start gloating. To his surprise, he just smiles softly.

“It’s about time,” he murmurs, “I’m happy for you guys. Hey, this gives us another reason to celebrate tonight!”

“Can we  _ not  _ make a huge fuss about this?” Kyungsoo requests.

“What, so you don’t want me to bring party hats? Just kidding, I’m not ready to die.” He pretends to zip his lips together, then mock salutes them again before he leaves for real. 

“See? Quick and painless, huh?” Jongin says, once it’s quiet. Kyungsoo sticks his tongue out at him.

"This is all happening so fast." Jongin observes, "soon it will be ready for field use. That's so cool." He beams and suddenly, all Kyungsoo can think of is how beautiful he is. He blinks rapidly, shaking his head.

"We still have more to do before that."

"Can't we take it easy for the rest of the day?" Jongin pouts. How on earth does a grown man manage to make that look cute? "We're already tired from casting, and you don't want to be exhausted for tonight, right?" He nudges him playfully until he relents.

"Ok, fine." He rolls his eyes, "what do you propose we do instead?"

This seems to throw him for a loop, but he recovers quickly.

"We can just watch videos on your laptop? Ooh! I know; we could start watching that Galaxy child thing that Sehun recommended?" Kyungsoo stares at him deadpan, but that actually isn't too bad an idea. “We don’t have anything else important to do until Friday~” He sings. Kyungsoo chews on the inside of his cheek and decides that, for today, the pros outweigh the cons.

 

Kyungsoo wakes up with a headache, and shivering from cold. Last night had been pretty wild; as a group effort, Kyungsoo had been persuaded to go to a club. Jongin had sweet-talked him into it, reminding him that they technically didn't have to go in today, since they were just waiting on testing now. Although Kyungsoo normally doesn't along with clubs, he actually had a great time. Flashes slowly come back to him, thought they all blend in together after a certain point. Jongdae had taken his shirt off, and sent videos of himself screaming to Chanyeol, so there's his reaction to look forward to. He groggily fast-forwards through what else he remembers and hums; well, everyone probably knows about Jongin and Kyungsoo now, with all the time they spent dancing on eachother.

He looks at the clock on the bedside table. It's nearly ten in the morning; he'll give himself an hour, and maybe head in to do some refining work with Jongin for the afternoon. He can snooze for a bit longer. It's no rush.

He groans, groping for his blankets, but they're unmovable.

"What the...?" He mumbles, rolling over, and coming face to face with Jongin. Oh, yeah. Neither Jongin nor Kyungsoo had had to buy a drink all night, which led to them being so drunk they could barely see when they left. They had gotten in at about three in the morning, and Kyungsoo had dragged Jongin into bed with him. They'd been too drunk to do much more than make out, and had ended up falling asleep together.

This explains why he's so cold, though. Jongin has nested amongst all the cushions and blankets, curled up with only tufts of hair and his ears poking out. He had been trying to think of a way to ask Jongin to start sleeping here with him permanently, and not out in the sofa-nest, but if he's going to wake up like this every morning...

"Jongin." He whines, trying to tug some of the material out from underneath him. His efforts rouse his boyfriend, who wriggles further into his warm nest, muffled complaints emanating from where his head is. "Jongin, it's cold out here."

There's a moment where Jongin flops like a fish, making the mattress bounce and allowing Kyungsoo to unravel the blankets from around him. Kyungsoo grumbles, and shimmies underneath, gasping when Jongin latches onto him like a cat searching for sunlight. He very nearly smothers him, hands everywhere and legs tangling up in his.

"Good morning to you, too." Kyungsoo says sarcastically.

"Morning." Comes Jongin's reply, spoken into Kyungsoo's chest. It tickles. Kyungsoo doesn't think he'll be able to get back to sleep, now.

"How are you feeling?" Kyungsoo asks, quietly, so as not to aggravate Jongin's poor ears. If it sounds loud to him, it's almost certainly worse for Jongin. He mumbles something indistinct, and Kyungsoo hums sympathetically. He wants to run his hands through Jongin's hair, maybe massage him or something, but his arms are pinned to his side. Jongin is using him as a glorified teddy bear.

"Do you want me to get some water? Painkillers?" Jongin shakes his head.

"Jus' want you to stay here and let me hold you."

"Alright." Kyungsoo smiles; Jongin is so cute like this. "I think I can do that for you, honey muffin." Jongin whines at the petname; his game from before had backfired on him, and now Kyungsoo looked for any opportunity to use silly nicknames for him.

"Love you, sugar." He says again, giggling. Jongin grumbles, but returns the sentiment.


	5. Part 5

Testing field #2 is huge. Kyungsoo remembers thinking so when he first visited, but it feels smaller even in his memory. The place consists of a huge hangar, the kind usually used to store flying vehicles, a small building separate from it, and acres of land stretching out behind them. The ground is dead and brown from all the spells that have been cast here, no sign of grass anywhere beyond the tall chain-link fences. It's so remote that they had to take a shuttle bus arranged by the department admin; apparently they have one each morning, one at midday, and one in the afternoon. As they drive by, Kyungsoo catches glimpses of bright yellow signs, warning of certain danger if they trespass.

They are dropped off in an almost empty car park outside the main hangar, then, as a group, directed towards the huge doors at the far end of the hangar.

"I didn't expect it to be so  _ big _ ." Jongin comments, looking out at the huge expanse of land. Kyungsoo has to bite his tongue to hold back the immature 'that's what he said' joke. Not with people around. Jongin side eyes him, as if reading his mind, and Kyungsoo pulls a face at him.

He clutches his workbook to his chest, he drew out two copies, each of eight different variants of their spell. There's almost no visible difference difference between them, but it could make or break the casting.

"I can't wait to get in there." Kyungsoo says, buoyed by excitement. He had been bouncing in his seat in the bus, to Jongin's amusement.

"Yeah." Jongin readily agrees, walking faster, "the only time I've ever seen offensive magic up close was when it  _ threatened my life _ . I'm looking forward to seeing it under... less dangerous circumstances."

"Me too." Kyungsoo agrees, shivering at the thought of the Hanjurians.

"Do you think we'll be allowed to record it? Chanyeol asked me to."

"We can ask." Kyungsoo shrugs. They might be strict on security here.

The doors slide open to let them in, revealing a waiting room and a secretary sat at the front desk.

It all has a very simple feel, like it wasn't designed with comfort in mind, and not given much of a budget anyway. There are two doors, one leading into the main hangar space, and the other presumably goes outside, into the testing grounds itself. When they enter, the secretary stands up to greet them and explain how they do things here. Seated on the cheap-looking seats that line the walls, are about ten, or maybe more, people dressed in protective gear.

Kyungsoo eyes their military grade spell circles on their chests analytically, almost missing some of what the woman is telling them. Actual GeunTo soldiers. Jongin and Kyungsoo's is the morning slot, and they need at least one person to cast the spell, and several more to act as attacking Hanjurians. They will probably be assigned a group of these people to work with.

One of them, the one who looks the youngest, catches Kyungsoo's eye, smirking at him. Embarrassed at being caught, Kyungsoo turns his head and deliberately doesn't look, even when he hears whispering. He catches Jongin sending a sharp look in the kid's direction, and wonders what on earth he could be saying. If they're commenting on Jongin's ears or tail then Kyungsoo will be ready to fight.

The secretary finishes her brief talk, then gestures towards the people waiting against the wall.  As if practiced, all of them stand up in perfect synchronisation. The tall woman with red hair, tightly pinned up behind her head, introduces herself as Joy and points out which soldiers are part of her squad. One of the ones she gestures to is the guy who was looking at him earlier. Shit. Why did it have to be  _ him _ , out of all of the people here? Joy continues on brightly, not having noticed anything amiss. "I'm the main spell- caster, and these guys are going to be blasting your abjuration spell with everything they've got."

The teenager looks him up and down suggestively. Kyungsoo smiles politely back at him, not wanting to encourage him, but also not wanting to come across rude. He's probably a nice guy, he just... really isn't interested. At all. And he looks like he dropped out of school early to join the military, judging by his baby-face.

"Where do we begin?" Jongin asks, standing closer to Kyungsoo than is really necessary. Joy grins, showing off her teeth.

"We'll use the lawn." She inclines her head towards one of the doors, and starts walking.

"The lawn?" Kyungsoo snorts, quickly putting his bag containing their lunch behind the counter, so it doesn’t weigh him down. Jongin sticks close behind as they trail after her, between Kyungsoo and the other magic users.

"It's our little nickname for the testing grounds." She says over her shoulder as she pushes open the door. "Don't you think it suits it?" She laughs, gesturing widely across the dirt terrain. Kyungsoo and Jongin survey the land.

"Was there  _ ever  _ grass here?"

"Yes, but that was before I started working here." She laughs to herself. "We're going to walk out pretty far into the grounds so we have plenty of space to work with. Don't want to damage HQ."

Kyungsoo nods understandingly, and gleefully answers all the questions Joy has about the spell. He explains how big he expects, or at least hopes for, it to be, which means they have to walk farther than Joy originally planned. He occupies himself telling her the details of his spell, and how hard it was to get to this point, drawn in by her bright personality. It's nice to talk to someone who genuinely is interested in abjuration magic, and works with abjuration regularly. She flicks through the pages he's given her, tracing them with her fingertip. Kyungsoo brims with pride.

"Alright, I know this isn't what you want to hear," Joy begins, once they're adequately far from the hangar, "but you have to wait at a safe distance. We're all professionally trained to deal with these situations, and it would be bad if something happened to either of you."

"I'll say." The young soldier chimes in, smirking at Kyungsoo again. Kyungsoo forms his mouth into a straight line.

"Where should we stay here, then?" He asks, looking around. Is there a bunker or something?

"See that bollard thing over there?" She points to the side. "It has a basic abjuration spell on it.  You can stay out here and watch if you think you can cast it, but if you can't then-"

"I think we can manage." Jongin interrupts, not rudely. She smiles.

"I thought you'd say that. Right, we’ll try out the first one, and come back afterwards, alright? Let’s go" She cocks her head, leading the rest of her squad further away.

"I don't like that guy." Jongin mumbles, as soon as they're out of earshot. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, and Jongin flusters. "He's annoying."

"He's just a dumb kid who joined the army straight outta high school, don't pay him any attention."

"He's older than both of us." Jongin growls. "I can tell."

"Wait, really? How do you know?"

"The vibes he gives off, I can't really explain it."

"Huh." Kyungsoo feels a bit less uncomfortable now he knows he isn't getting hit on by a straight up teenager, but still. He smiles knowing that Jongin is jealous. “Aw, you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“I know that, he just makes me uncomfortable. You didn’t hear what he was saying about you, back in the building.”

“Oh. What was he saying?”

“He was commenting on your ass.” Jongin says, “I mean, he’s right; you have a great butt, but I don’t really like hearing other people comment about my boyfriend’s ass. Not my idea of a fun time.”

“You think I have a great butt?” Kyungsoo asks, flushing.

“Have I never told you this before?” Jongin places a finger on his pursed lips, pretending to think hard. “I could have sworn...”

“No, you didn’t.” He moves closer, fully intending to ask him to elaborate on that when Joy interrupts. Kyungsoo can barely hear what she's saying, her words lost to the wind, but luckily Jongin can hear her perfectly.

"She's telling us to start casting now." He explains, placing both hands on the spell. Kyungsoo nods, copying him and letting his energy flow into the circle. This spell is similar to the one he drew during that disastrous date so many weeks ago, and summons a bubble around them that looks almost identical. Joy gives them a thumbs up that Kyungsoo can barely see, before setting a sheet of paper on the ground.

The barrier that forms is huge, so big that the soldiers underestimated how big it would be. Kyungsoo laughs euphorically as Joy breaks it, and waits for them to move back so she can recast with them on the other side. The reduction magic in Kyungsoo's office had kept it so, so much smaller in comparison.

It's perfect! Better than he'd hoped! The diameter is maybe four hundred meters? Kyungsoo can't tell from this distance. But that’s just with one person casting! It will grow depending on how much magic is available- with just two average level magic users it could probably cover a small town with little trouble.

"Now we just wait and hope that it functions as it's supposed to." Jongin says, just as excited as he is. Kyungsoo squints into the distance, trying to get his eyes to focus on what the soldiers are doing. He can't discern who is who from this distance; they're just far enough away that he can't see their faces. His body is alight with nerves, the anticipation killing him.

The sky erupts with fire, orange and red tendrils licking the clouds and completely obscuring the entirety of the shield. It crawls around the surface, looking for a point of weakness, but doesn't seem to find one. Kyungsoo can feel the heat on his skin even through the barrier. It's like it's alive; Kyungsoo has never seen a spell like this used in real life, a sentient kind of fire. Something else he didn't expect is the sound, like some ancient creature from another dimension, roaring wordlessly. Kyungsoo is rooted to the spot, mouth gaping, the fire reflected in his eyes.

How long can he keep pushing this spell? The energy consumption would cause a regular person to have passed out by now, how on  _ earth  _ is he managing this??

The flames fizzle out suddenly, dripping to the ground and setting the floor ablaze. It looked more like he chose to break the spell, rather than him getting tired. He probably could have carried on for longer, if he wanted to, he realises. Fear twists his guts; what if the Hanjurians used that kind of spell? They could decimate entire  _ cities  _ with magic like that.

"Whoa." Jongin breathes, barely audible next to him.

"Yeah." Kyungsoo agrees, not even looking.

"That was the annoying one." Jongin mumbles. Kyungsoo can hear the petulance in his voice. "I guess that's why he was so cocky. He has almost as much raw power as Chanyeol."

"Chanyeol could cast a spell like that?"

"Yeah, no problem. That fire glove spell? It has an extremely  _ inefficient  _ flow. He's still working on that." He informs him. Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows. No wonder he was so out of it afterwards.

Thunder courses through the air, a shockwave rippling the skin of their barrier. Kyungsoo turns sharply towards the source, legs suddenly shaking. He missed it, but it seems like one of them cast another incendiary spell, a large explosion. The wispy remains of smoke drift through the air, but the shield remains untarnished. The second time, he doesn't miss it; a jagged blast rips through the air, igniting the air in blinding white. Spots dance on his retinas when it fades, and he closes his eyes, waiting for it to pass.

"Nothing is weakening it so far." Jongin observes, a hint of hope colouring his tone. Kyungsoo grins, trying to tie down the reckless optimism that's growing. They still have a lot more tests to go through, but Kyungsoo has a good feeling about this.

The next attempt is harder to see, but what's glaringly obvious is that it fails. Using a water jet spell to cut through the barrier is something Kyungsoo hadn't thought to explicitly guard against, but nonetheless, it doesn't work.

There's a pause, a silence in which the soldiers rearrange themselves. Kyungsoo wishes they had done a rundown of what they intended to do and  in what order, because waiting is killing him.

The other female soldier besides Joy is knelt to the side. The ground begins to shake, tremors causing the ground to crack and split, hairline chasms spreading from the cast point like spidery arms. The barrier shakes, but there aren't any weaknesses, even from this.

Kyungsoo and Jongin huddle into the pillar, holding tight so they don't fall. The cracks reach nerve wrackingly close to where Jongin and Kyungsoo stand, but the earth stills before it can reach them. As the soldier stands, the ground seems to reassemble, clicking back into place like puzzle pieces.

"Oh my god." Jongin sounds as shaken as he feels, "no fucking wonder they made us come all the way out here."

"I know right." Kyungsoo can see the appeal of this kind of magic, now. Both working on the theoretical side of things, like Jongdae and Chanyeol, or wielding it. These soldiers likely don't have that much training in magic theory, but if he were in their shoes, he probably wouldn't care. Having access to that much power would be incredible.

One soldier moves back, both of his hands raised, pointing at the barrier. Kyungsoo squints, preparing himself. Lightning bursts forth from his fingertips, sparks drenching the area around him from the expulsion point, and raining down from the spot that it hits the barrier. It ripples slightly, like the rings on water when it's raining, but doesn't look any more fragile from the abuse.

It's so bright, Kyungsoo can't look for long. He lifts one hand off the spell and covers his eyes just in time for it to finish. Kyungsoo wants to say something, something interesting, but all he can think of is 'wow'. His hands are shaking.

"Is that it?" Jongin asks, voice wobbly. Kyungsoo shrugs, not sure.

"That was amazing." He mumbles, breathless, looking up at Jongin to see his reaction. His gaze is fixated on the barrier, still holding strong after all that. His ears are perked up at high alert, and his eyebrows are low over his eyes.

"Do you think there will be an outright war like this? Like- do you think we'll have to use this?" Jongin asks, meaning their new spell. Kyungsoo purses his lips. On one hand, he doesn't want all of his hard work to be wasted, but his more rational side of him is telling him that he shouldn't wish for another attack. Even if they would be totally safe, hoping for an attack would be terrible of him.

"I don't know." He says, "so far it's only been 'smaller' attacks, but Zhao Ying hates us so much, it wouldn't surprise me if he had more things planned."

"He's messed up." Jongin shakes his head. "I want to say that things can't get any worse, but I know that as soon as I make a statement like that, everything will go to shit."

"Yeah." Kyungsoo makes a face. If he knew that his aggression was only fuelling their propensity for offensive and defensive spells, would he stop? Probably not. And after the counter-attack from the GeunTo military on a large town it’s probably stupid not to expect further retaliation. Kyungsoo grits his teeth.

The barrier spell disappears like a popped bubble, shrinking into nothing. Jongin and Kyungsoo drop theirs a moment later, stretching out after being hunched in the same position for so long.  In the distance, they can see Joy walking back towards them, followed by the rest of her team, so they head in her direction, aiming to meet somewhere in the middle.

"Hey!" Joy waves them over, half jogging to get within comfortable conversation range. Kyungsoo pointedly avoids looking at the soldier from earlier.

"So, that went pretty well!" Joy informs them. "I'm sure you could tell- that barrier seemed to be functioning perfectly fine. We'll go through all of your other variations, just to make sure, but I started with the one I thought would be the best. It will just be the same thing over and over, so if you want to head back to the lobby at any point, to wait, let me know."

"Oh, ok." Kyungsoo looks at Jongin, who shrugs. "Well. I guess we'll stay out here to watch for a bit longer if that's ok with you? We should keep an eye on what's going on anyway, in case anything goes wrong."

"That's probably for the better." Joy nods thoughtfully. 

"Oh yeah- I wanted to ask if it's alright to film here. It's not some secret location is it? I just want to show my friend who's in the hospital some cool magic." Jongin lays his pout on her, and it looks like it's working.

"You shouldn't take photos here, really." She bites her lip, "but as long as I can trust you not to upload it anywhere, it should be fine." Jongin fist pumps like a dork.

"Chanyeol is gonna be so happy!"

"Please don't endanger our work." She says doubtfully, already looking like she regrets her decision.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of that." Jongin raises his hands good naturedly. "Our friend got injured in the last Hanjurian attack, and I thought that seeing some of this stuff might cheer him up a bit."

"Wait, Chanyeol?" The raller soldier interjects, " the crazyhead who almost died protecting people at the subway station?  _ That _ Chanyeol?"

"His reputation precedes him. Yep, that's the guy." Jongin laughs. “I’ll tell him you think he’s a crazy head.”

"No don’t tell him that. Take as many videos as you like! Tell him we all think he was really brave for doing what he did." The other female soldier gushes.

Jongin grins, "we will, don't worry! Though it might make his head swell up."

"I'm sure we can live with that for a while." Kyungsoo nudges Jongin's arm.

"Doesn't that make you guys the ones who cast the spell, then?" The baby-faced soldier says, looking at Kyungsoo, and Jongin, with a newly appreciative expression.

"Uh, yeah." Jongin says.

"That's really impressive, for a civilian." He says, eyebrows raised. Kyungsoo turns red under the weight of his and the other soldiers' staring until Joy snaps them out of it.

"You only have the morning booked out with us, and we're wasting time here chattering like grandmas."

"Oh, yeah sorry!" Kyungsoo is quick to apologise. "We'll just go back over there then, and let you carry on."

"Thanks. Let's see if we can all of this done before lunch, huh? Let's go!" She claps her hands, and starts jogging back to the safer area, the rest of the team following her. Jongin and Kyungsoo are left standing there for a moment, before Jongin comes back to himself and starts walking back to where they came from. He rests one hand on the small of his back for just long enough to push him in the right direction, then let's it drop. He wants him to put it back, but asking would sound stupid.

"How about I cast the spell this time, that way you can film for Chanyeol?" Kyungsoo suggests, "last time took about fifteen minutes? I can hold a barrier that long by myself, no problem."

Jongin side eyes him. "Alright, but there's eight more after this one, are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"Uh." Kyungsoo frowns. He's going to be exhausted, there's no doubt about that, but he thinks he can pull it off. Jongin is with him, after all; he won't pass out. "Yeah. I'll be fine." Jongin hums, not sounding like he believes him at all, but let's the subject drop.

Kyungsoo places his hands on the circle, waiting for Joy to cast. Jongin makes sure to stand close by; this barrier is a small one.

It begins not a minute later, and Jongin holds his phone up, already recording. This time, it's someone else who casts first, sending a jet stream of molten fire over the dome of the barrier. Kyungsoo wonders if Jongin's little gasp will be heard in the recording.

 

Even though they have a break mid morning, which was more for the soldiers benefit than anyone else, Kyungsoo is still tired by lunch, when they finish. None of the soldiers look any better than him. Joy's hair is coming out of it's tightly pinned up bun, and all of them are sweaty and exhausted. Despite that, all of them are glowing, like this was just another work-out.

To the irritation of the other researchers who came here, not to mention the driver, they discuss the details of the spell and hold the bus up for a full ten minutes. Joy has the most to say, but even then it's just minor tweaks that may or may not change anything. Kyungsoo drinks it all in like a sponge.

"It's a very solid spell, I'm impressed." She tells him, walking them out of the door to the hangar. The driver honks his horn, impatient.

Just before they exit, Minseok shoves something into Kyungsoo's hand. Confused and in a hurry, Kyungsoo takes it from him without questioning anything as he and Jongin break into a jog to appease those waiting. The pair of them pile onto the bus, out of breath, and apologise to the driver, who grumbles about losing part of his break. Even though he was doing nothing here for hours.

They pick seats in the middle of the bus, and as soon as the driver pulls out of the car park, he's using his thigh to rest the page with the spell on, so he can annotate it with what Joy told him before he forgets. The bumps in the road make his script almost illegible, but he thinks that he'll remember when they get back to work.

Jongin pulls the old takeout boxes containing their lunch out of the bag himself, since Kyungsoo is busy. 

“What did that guy give you, by the way?” Jongin asks, trying a little too hard to sound cursory. Kyungsoo had actually forgotten about the little note that he’d shoved into his pocket, in his haste to write everything down. Wordlessly, he digs it out of his pocket and hands it over to Jongin before he loses his train of thought.

“Oh my god.” Jongin snorts, unfurling it. “Wow, this is going to make things awkward tomorrow.”

“What? Why?” Kyungsoo finally looks up, as Jongin turns the paper to show him. A string of numbers and ‘call me? Minseok Xx’ written below it.

“He gave you his number.” Jongin snorts, crumpling up the paper and shoving it between the bus seats. Kyungsoo burns. Oh god, now he’s never going to be able to look that guy in the eye. Why couldn’t he have pulled this stunt  _ tomorrow _ , when he’d have the option to never see him again?

“I’m not interested in him.” He says, willing Jongin to believe him. Jongin’s eyes soften as he looks at him.

“I know.” He says, hushed in case people overhear. Cheeks a deep shade of red, Kyungsoo turns back to his notes and hopes that Minseok guy is switched out tomorrow.

 

,Their second session at testing field #2 passes much like their first, except that they get can straight down to business without having to listen to the same spiel as yesterday. Unluckily for Kyungsoo, Minseok the youthful soldier is still there. When they enter, he watches Kyungsoo hopefully, leg bouncing, but Kyungsoo can't meet his eye. Jongin stands protectively between them, orienting himself so that Kyungsoo doesn't have to bear the awkwardness by himself. 

As they march into the open space of the grounds, Kyungsoo shows Joy the changes he's made to some of the circles, and the things he'd added later on, after experimenting some more. The changes are so minor that an ordinary person, not trained in the art of spell working, probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them. The tiny tweaks may not make a huge difference, but it's worth it, if it makes the magic flow better in the long run. This spell may have to be held for a very long time, and if pushing or pulling a few lines, or moving a symbol a little in one direction will be easier for the user, then he'll do it.

The same as yesterday, they stop and stay in their shielded area, while the rest of the team heads further afield.

"That could have been worse." Jongin comments, referring to the stale air hanging between him and the soldier who keeps flirting with him. Kyungsoo grimaces.

"I just hope he doesn't try to talk to me privately before we leave, I haven't had to turn anyone down in forever."

"I beg to differ." Jongin says, his tone teasing, but his eyes betray a hint of hurt.

"Hey," Kyungsoo's chest twinges, "that was different." Jongin makes a face, that implies he doesn't agree, but Kyungsoo doesn't want to start a fight, not here, so he lets it drop.

The testing of the spell goes much the same as yesterday, but Kyungsoo is still captured by the sheer beauty, and raw power of it.

Casting all day leaves him tired again, too tired to care that Minseok keeps making eyes at him.

"So which one do you think was the best?" Kyungsoo asks, falling into step with Joy as they all head back to the hangar.

"Either this one," she pulls out two from the pile, "or this one. The first one is more fluid, but the second one is just a tad stronger, in terms of shielding capabilities."

"Hm." Kyungsoo's eyebrows draw together in the middle. Listening as Joy continues to list the pros and cons of each one, though the difference are only minute, he purses his lips. He holds one page in each hand, and looks between them, trying to decide which one to go with. He's concentrating so hard that he would have walked straight into the door of the hangar, had someone not pulled him aside just in time. He looks up, intending to thank Jongin for rescuing him, but it's Minseok, and the words die on his tongue.

"Sorry." Kyungsoo mutters quickly, scuttling past him and joining Jongin by his side, glad when Jongin catches on, placing his hand on his lower back. Minseok follows sullenly, with another soldier elbowing his side. Inside the lobby, it's time to say farewell to them all, with the knowledge that now their work is done, they probably won't ever see each other ever again.

"I'm glad to have gotten the chance to work with you. Hopefully if you ever need any spells tested, we get assigned to help you out!" She beams, and Kyungsoo smiles awkwardly. "You've been a pleasure to work with, honestly, not many people are so receptive to criticism as you are."

"Thanks for giving me advice." Kyungsoo bows his head respectfully. He smiles at her, and wonders if he could put in a recommendation for her somewhere. They continue to bow as they leave, Kyungsoo making sure not to forget his backpack, where their lunch is kept, so they can eat on their way back.

This time, they aren't late; there's still a few people missing on the bus which means they aren't the last people to return.

"I just can't believe we're so close to having this wrapped up!" Kyungsoo enthuses, holding himself back from shaking Jongin in his excitement.

"Me too." Jongin chuckles, looking down at him fondly. Kyungsoo can feel his cheeks burning under his gaze.

"A-actually, before we go, I might just nip back and ask Joy-" Jongin cuts him off before he can finish, grabbing his wrist so he can't go anywhere.

"Kyungsoo. You have to stop somewhere, right? I know you; if I don't tell you to stop now, you'll keep trying to change things forever."

"But-"

"It may not be 100% perfect, according to you, but it will work, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"It will work. Won't it?" Jongin stares intently into his eyes, and Kyungsoo flusters even more.

"Yes." Kyungsoo sighs. "But I just- I want it to be as good as possible."

"I know that, but. You have to let it go. Pick one of the ones Joy said, and hand it in this afternoon."

"But I-” Kyungsoo tries again, but Jongin raises one eyebrow. “Well...alright."

"Kyungsoo, it will be fine. Trust me." He let's Kyungsoo's arm slip through his fingers until he's holding onto his hand. "Trust  _ yourself. _ "

Kyungsoo presses his lips into a thin line, trying to think of another valid reason he could postpone finalising. Nothing pops into his head, and Jongin's warm hands, paired with his soulful eyes are making it difficult to concentrate anyway, so he sags.

"You're right." He steps up into the bus, noting that the driver is watching them like a hawk, probably listening in. A little quieter, as he leads Jongin onto the bus, he carries on, "I'll do all the necessary paperwork the afternoon."

"And that will be that?"

"Yeah." Kyungsoo nods. Which means that Jongin will leave shortly afterwards, unless he does something to stop him. He could make up any number of excuses, about needing him to stay on another couple of weeks while the spell is processed, just in case of complications. That is extremely unlikely to happen, but if it means Jongin will stay a little longer while he figures out how to deal with himself, he'll do it.

He grips Jongin’s hand, still tangled in his own, a little tighter. Jongin reciprocates the move, stroking his thumb with his own.

 

"Do you think it will be easy enough for them to copy it out?" Kyungsoo asks, cheek pressed against Jognin's chest as they lie together on the sofa. They’re able to do that, now Jongin is permanently moved into Kynugsoo’s, or  _ their _ room. It feels so much more spacious out here, without Jongin’s huge suitcase clogging up the walkway.

They'd handed the spell in, officially, that afternoon, and Kyungsoo is having some trouble letting go. Jongin had told him he was like a mother watching his child go off to war, but that had struck a little too close to home.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. They're all professionals, like you, right?"

"But what if I didn't draw it clearly enough? I should have given them a bigger copy, so they could see it more clearly."

"I'm sure they have a photocopier, Kyungsoo." Jongin reassures, rubbing his back.

"What if I drew it wrong, though? What if I accidentally gave them the wrong copy?"

"You didn't, and you quadruple checked before you handed it over to them. It will be fine."

"But wha-"

"Kyungsoo." Jongin scolds him sharply. "It's fine. You should be happier! You've finished the job, and now no one in this city is going to get hurt from attacks. This is what you wanted, right? You've spent months on this."

"I guess."

"And, they said they're going to start distributing the spell to other cities, right?"

"Yeah." Kyungsoo says, still not convinced that he won’t get an annoyed phone call from someone. Jongin sighs loudly and sits up, bringing Kyungsoo with him. Kyungsoo ends up sat across Jongin’s lap, holding onto his upper arms to keep from sliding off.

“Look, I know it’s in your nature to worry about things. I know that first hand. But I swear to you, it’s going to be fine.” He cradles Kyungsoo’s head, running his thumb across his cheek tenderly. Kyungsoo wants to believe him, but it’s just always going to be there, niggling away- Jongin kisses him, washing away any room for thoughts that aren’t  _ Jongin. _ Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter shut as their mouths meld together. Jongin’s lips are soft, and Kyungsoo can feel his concern evident in how he kisses him, giving and sincere. Jongin pulls away slowly, eyes sparkling.

“It’s a little known fact that a kiss from me will make all your worries disappear. Did it work?”

“I don’t know. I think you might have to try again.” Kyungsoo replies, hardly able to keep the smile off his face. Jongin grins, ducking back in to kiss him again, but this time it’s less successful.

“Stop laughing, I can’t kiss you if you’re laughing.” Jongin pouts, poking his cheek. That only helps in making Kyungsoo laugh harder, however.

“ _ Healing kisses _ ? What is this, some cheesy romance novel?” Kyungsoo snorts. “Ugh, you’re lucky I love you.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.” Jongin pouts, turning his cheek when Kyungsoo leans in for a consolatory kiss. “I try to cheer you up, and what do I get? Ridicule.”

“Noo!” Kyungsoo complains, hugging him tight. “I appreciate your healing kisses, I  _ do _ !” He exclaims, crossing his legs behind Jongin’s back so that he’s stuck. Jongin wheezes, trying and failing to get up. The second time he tries, holding onto Kyungsoo properly, he’s able to get to his feet with little trouble. Kyungsoo cries out in alarm, clinging tighter. 

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asks, laughing still, despite himself. Jongin starts tottering towards the bedroom.

“I was thinking maybe I need to give you a few more ‘healing kisses’ before they start to take effect.” He says, squeezing Kyungsoo’s ass. Kyungsoo hums,

“I like the sound of that.”

 

Kyungsoo draws swirling patterns on Jongin’s bare tummy, amusing himself with how the muscles twitch when he touches a ticklish spot. Jongin is dozing off, or trying to at least. Kyungsoo sighs quietly to himself. What do they do now? Kyungsoo will get a new area of research assigned to him, probably one not as complex or difficult as the previous one. He might be told to start working with Hyojung, on her spell that will supposedly keep out terrorists, or he might be left to find his own avenue of research, like he had been before. Maybe he’ll dive into studying other ancient barriers? 

Jongin is a different story. He was only hired for this one particular assignment, and Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he would be able to get a subsidy to keep him on the payroll. Would Jongin even  _ want _ to stay on, working with him? 

“What’re you thinking so hard about?” Jongin asks, not even opening his eyes.

“I was just thinking about what happens next.”

“I’m assuming you don’t mean round two?” Jongin asks, walking his fingers down Kyungsoo’s back towards the curve of his ass.

“No.” Kyungsoo says, “I mean what do we do generally. Were you planning on going back home?”

“I don’t know for sure. But i hadn’t intended on going back, except to visit family. Speaking of, you never met my niece when she came to visit the other week.”

“Next time she comes I’ll meet her. And your sister.” Kyungsoo promises.

“I’ll let her know, she’s actually pretty excited to meet you. But yeah, uhh..I’ll start looking for another job in the city, I think. I’m not going anywhere, I only just  _ got _ here.”

“You’ve been living here for three months now.” Kyungsoo deadpans, reassured nonetheless. “Are you going to look for a new apartment, too?”

“Are you trying to kick me out?” Without even looking, Kyungsoo knows he’s pouting.

“Did you ever seriously look for an apartment?” He probes. The silence is Jongin’s answer, “I knew it.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, amused. He’d played him the entire time.

“Look, doesn’t that show that I seriously liked you, even way back then?”

“It also could show that you wanted to leech off my hospitality?” Kyungsoo teases. Jongin gasps, affronted.

“I would never!” Kyungsoo turns his head, one eyebrow raised. Jongin is laying there with his arms behind his head, but he still looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Ok,” he concedes, “I wouldn’t turn down cheap lodging, but that wasn’t the reason, I swear!”

“It’s ok, I probably would have let you stay anyway.” Kyungsoo hums.

  
  


Kyungsoo awakes to to a piercing sound.

Blearily, he rubs at his eyes and reaches for his phone, to turn off his alarm, but it's not vibrating. His phone says it's 3:44AM.

Beside him, Jongin stirs, murmuring some garbled complaint as he awakens as well.

"Is that..?" Kyungsoo squints into the darkness, fear coiling in his stomach. It is. "Jongin!" He rushes back to his boyfriend, shaking him awake, "that's the air raid siren. We're under attack!"

"What?!" Jongin sits up, suddenly a hell of a lot more awake. "Do we need to go to the shelters?"

"This apartment has a basement shelter." Kyungsoo is already pulling on some jeans, and a sweater over his pyjamas, "I don't know how much time we have; you have to get up!" He throws clothes at him, already pulling on his shoes. He can hear footsteps in the corridor of his apartment block now, people already leaving.

His phone rings in his pocket. He doesn't recognise the number, and in this situation he's wary of answering unknown calls. Jongin nods at him so he takes it anyway, struggling to tie his shoes one handed.

"Hello?" He asks, hoping that this is a friend's new number or something.

"Do Kyungsoo?" An authoritative voice asks. What the hell? This is not a voice he recognises.

"Speaking. Who is this?"

"I'm Lieutenant Bang, speaking on behalf of General Kwang, Head of Military Defence. I understand you are the owner and creator of spell three-four-five-one? We've sent a car to come pick you up so you can oversee the casting." Kyungsoo blinks owlishly. He hadn't expected that.

"Oh." Jongin eyes him inquisitively, hovering close by. His shoulders are hunched from the loud noise, and he instinctively reaches out to Kyungsoo for comfort.

"Please wait outside your apartment for further instruction." He orders, promptly hanging up.

"What was that all about?" Jongin asks, linking their fingers together and leading them past the sofa, neat and tidy now that Jongin doesn't sleep there anymore, and out into the pitch black street. All of the streetlights have been turned off.

"It was a call from the Head of Military Defence? About our spell. He's sending a car to pick us up." It's chilly outside, and the wailing of the siren is deafening.

"What?" Jongin pauses. "So we can't go into the shelter..?"

"No," Kyungsoo shakes his head, huddling into Jongin's side for warmth, "he said he wanted us to be there to oversee things."

"They think we're going to need it?"

"Well, they must do if they're sending a car for us. Either way, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah. Did he say how long the car would be?"

"No, but it shouldn't be long. It's not like there's going to be much traffic at this time of night."

Kyungsoo looks up into the sky, searching for signs of aerial attack, but there’s nothing; just smoggy black skies, and no stars. A family of four, the father carrying a toddler, stumble past them and into the basement. Jongin and Kyungsoo share a look, wary.

As predicted, a black car pulls up just a few moments later, a window rolling down to let the driver clarify their identity. Jongin nods for both of them, and they get into the back seat, jittery from nerves.

With the roads desolate, the driver speeds towards their destination. He drops them off outside the tallest skyscraper in the city, which also, as luck would have it, is pretty much as close to the centre of the city as it could be.

"I should have known it would be here." Kyungsoo muses, briskly heading up the steps. It's so eerie here; the way the siren echoes off all the buildings is haunting, and with no one else around, it might as well be a ghost town.

Shivering, he and Jongin step into the building, where a frazzled employee greets them. A few minutes of tense silence in the elevator brings them out onto the highest floor. The government employee leads them up the stairs and onto the roof. The siren isn’t so loud up here. 

Kyungsoo surveys his surroundings; six people are huddled around a small table, lit with a cheap lamp that someone is holding out, and another ten or so are standing around the edge of the rooftop. 

"There you are," a broad man who walks with the confidence of a soldier gestures for them to come closer. "I'mLieutenant Bang." Kyungsoo bows his head. Lieutenant Bang continues to talk as he shakes their hands, explaining the situation.

"We're under a time pressure. Hanjurian air-forces are headed this way, and will get here in just under two minutes now."

"What?! Why aren't you casting already?" Kyungsoo's mouth falls open in horror. If they're that close, what are they waiting for?

"We're intending to shield all of Yeong Si, we don't want to waste energy." He answers the question like he’s talking to a child rather than the creator of the spell, and aside from being terrified that he’s going to die, it makes Kyungsoo’s blood boil. Jongin comes to his rescue, squeezing his hand before he can say anything.

"So you're going to try and cut it as close as you can? Isn't that pretty risky?" Jongin asks, aghast. Kyungsoo agrees wholeheartedly. If they're sending planes to bomb them, how will they be able to judge the timing? This is madness. They’ll all be dead before they even know what hit them!

"That's the goal." Lieutenant Bang says gruffly. "We're aiming to shield the entirety of Yeong Si, and to do that we'll need to use every last drop of energy we have. We don't know how long the enemy planes will circle; they might wait until the spell breaks, and we don't know when our forces are going to get here." 

"Can we help in any way?" Kyungsoo asks, terrified but putting on a brave face. He's cast a spell in an emergency situation before; he's got this. "Surely the more people, the better? If we can fit." Kyungsoo say. It looks pretty crowded around that table.

"Maybe we can switch out if someone gets tired?" Jongin suggests.

"That's the plan." Lieutenant Bang nods. He gestures to the government spell casters, who are looking to the skies, faces tense and poised to start at a moment's notice. He doesn’t elaborate any more, and Kyungsoo watches him head back to the spell caster huddle. He instructs them to remain vigilant, himself straining to notice any sign of attack before it's too late.

Kyungsoo is starting to panic. Or, panic  _ more _ . Hadn’t he made it clear that this version of the spell was much more efficient? He's treating it like it hasn't been changed at all. Heart palpitating, he pulls away from Jongin, needing to tell Lieutenant. Bang. Jongin is reluctant to let him go, but Kyungsoo's clammy hand slips out of his without too much trouble, and he hurries over to the head of military defence, hovering by his side.

"Sir, I designed the spell to be efficient enough in it's energy use that you should be able to cast  it for long enough for the reserves to arrive; during testing, one woman cast it for over four hours!  _ Alone _ !" He gestures animatedly as he talks, "with this many people, plus me and Jongin, there shouldn't be a problem covering the main parts of the city, at least."

"Our goal is to cover the entirety of the city." Lieutenant Bang informs him, "plenty of people live in the suburbs, and on the outskirts, their safety is also our concern."

"I'm concerned too!" Kyungsoo argues passionately. "I'm concerned that if you keep waiting, they'll be here before we can do anything."

"Kyungsoo-" Jongin, tries to pull Kyungsoo away, to avoid starting a full-blown argument, but he isn't having any of it. “Do you know exactly how fast they’re going to be? Do you know for sure how  _ high  _ they’re going to be, when they start dropping bombs? Do you?” Lieutenant Bang's eyebrows furrow, casting his eyes into dark shadows as he decides. Kyungsoo watches his face anxiously, looking out into the cloudy horizon every so often as if an enemy plane will appear out of nowhere.

Lieutenant Bang pinches the bridge of his nose, accepting Kyungsoo's words.

"Start casting." He orders.

"Sir." The woman who looks to be the leader nods, turning towards the rest of the group. Kyungsoo watches with bated breath, but nothing spectacular happens. The shield is so far above them, camouflaged against the inky blackness, that Kyungsoo can't even see it. He has no idea exactly how far it's edges reach, or if everyone is truly safe. He doesn't  _ feel _ safe; he still feels totally exposed. Kyungsoo hopes that his creation is strong enough for this, to whatever is coming. What if they're using magical bombs? Kyungsoo can only hope that the amount of time and effort put into this spell was worth it, that the tests they put it through were an indicator of its true strength.

"Do you think it's going to work?" Kyungsoo whispers, for only Jongin to hear. Jongin pulls him into a hug, hiding his face in his chest.

"Yes, it will work. Have a little faith." He murmurs. His voice sounds strained; he’s scared too. Kyungsoo unashamedly clings to him for a second longer, before gritting his teeth. Though his legs are shaking, he steps forward.

"Is there room for me to help?" He asks, rolling up his coat sleeves with a wobbly smile on his face. The leader starts to move aside, forming a gap for Kyungsoo.

They don't even hear the engines of these new planes; so there's no warning when the first jet collides with the barrier. 

Kyungsoo cries out in alarm, and some of the casters almost let the spell break from the shock before Lieutenant Bang is barking commands at them. The fallout of the impact is intense, orange flames licking at the walls of the spell, causing a shockwave of ripples to cascade over the shield.

The remains of the planes, swirling with fire, tumble down the side, leaving a trail of glowing smoke. Kyungsoo watches on, mouth agape and feet rooted to the ground. He squints, trying to see where the jets are but they're invisible against the overcast night sky.

A bomb falls, detonating on impact of the barrier and creating ripples that collide with the those caused by the plane. Instinctively, Kyungsoo cowers, covering his head with his arms. Another joins the first, and another until explosions are raining down on their city.  The shield is shaking like jelly, but still holding strong. The deafening sounds bounce around in the tiny echo chamber and make Kyungsoo's body feel strange, like he's vibrating as well. It hurts his ears, so Kyungsoo pulls Jongin into an embrace, shielding his ears from the barrage as best he can. Jongin trembles with each impact, clutching at Kyungsoo like he's his lifeline, who is stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him. He isn't sure if it's helping, but he carries on anyway.

The blasts blend together, like one continuous explosion. It’s pure chaos reigning above them- Kyungsoo can’t see anything except smoke and roiling fire. For Jongin's sake, he wants to go inside the building; it might be just a little quieter in there. But when he tries to walk them both in that direction, Jongin won't budge. He’s frozen in place.

_ It's just like fireworks, _ he whispers to himself. This won't last forever.

Except, it  _ feels  _ like it is. How many jets do they have? How many bombs? How long can they hold out? Will the magic itself stand up to this firepower?

"Rotations, people!" Mr Kwang bellows, violently ushering the reserve casters to move forward. Like an elaborate dance, they switch places, never having less than six people pushing energy into the circle at once. Kyungsoo begins to wonder why he and Jongin were brought here; they clearly aren't needed. He stares at the cityscape, lit up in unnatural red light, almost as strong as daylight. It's unsettling; like everything is on fire. But it's  _ not.  _ The spell is  _ working _ . Kyungsoo knew that it would, but it's surreal to see his creation functioning so perfectly for what it was designed for.

Gradually, the attacks decrease in numbers, until it tapers off into silence. Kyungsoo's ears ring. Did they give up... or are they just biding their time? No one moves, no one  _ breathes,  _ afraid that the slightest movement will undo everything.

"Is it over?" He asks, at normal volume. He can barely hear himself, let alone anyone else, so he doesn't get his answer. Jongin slowly peels himself away from Kyungsoo enough to see his face; he looks terrible, eyes puffy and red. Kyungsoo's heart wrenches. He should have left Jongin back at the shelter, where he wouldn't have been subjected to all of this. Apologetic, Kyungsoo kisses his forehead.

"I'm sorry-" He starts, but even though Jongin probably can't hear, he can read his lips. His expression changes in an instant, and he shakes his head vehemently. He says something that Kyungsoo can't decipher, and pulls him in for a soft kiss. Kyungsoo melts into him.

When nothing has happened ten minutes later, Kyungsoo breathes out a sigh of relief. Hopefully they've realised now that their shelter can't be broken, and won’t try again. That’s probably wishful thinking.

Kyungsoo looks past Jongin towards the spell casters, still working their magic, and wonders if it’s safe to go home now. Lieutenant Bang is speaking rapidly into his phone. The little bits that Kyungsoo can pick up through the tinnitus include things like ‘radar’, ‘return fire’ and ‘success’. 

So  _ that’s  _ what was happening? GeunTo military shot some of the enemy planes down. That explains a lot. 

Lieutenant Bang hangs up, points at Kyungsoo and Jongin, then to the stairwell. Kyungsoo and Jongin follow him, understanding that he wants some measure of privacy. 

“I want to thank you for advising me in this situation.” he says gruffly, “you are now free to go. The air raid siren is already called off. I would advise going home and getting some rest. A car is waiting outside for you”

“What?” Kyungsoo frowns, “what about the spell?”

“We can handle things from here. We’ll keep it going until morning, just in case. According to Central Command the Hanjurians have all been cleared, or have retreated. ”

“But-” Kyungsoo insists, wanting to stay and help, but Jongin’s trembling fingers around his wrist draw him away. Guilt tugs at his gut, and he relents easily after that, letting Jongin take him down the stairs after bidding Lieutenant Bang farewell.

They step into the elevator and suddenly Kyungsoo fears he might fall asleep standing up. He pulls his phone out of his pocket to find that they’ve been up here for over an hour. It hadn’t felt that long at all. 

Jongin is still shaking like a leaf, face pallid.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo begins again, “I shouldn’t have brought you.” Jongin purses his lips.

“I’d rather have been here with you than by myself in some basement shelter.” He admits. Kyungsoo’s heart wrenches at the thought of Jongin alone, unsure of what was going on. It was probably better this way.

When the elevator opens, they walk hand in hand out into the street; the lights still aren’t lit, in case of a second attack, and probably won’t be until the following night, but the sirens have indeed stopped. It’s safe. Once again, he looks skyward, but there’s still no visible sign of the barrier. He shrugs, secure in the knowledge that even if he can’t see it it’s still there.

As they get into the car, Kyungsoo allows Jongin to lean on him. He tries to calm Jongin as best he can, stroking his hair and holding him close. 

What will happen tomorrow? When the barrier breaks in the morning, there will probably be a lot of rubble to clear away- he hopes that nothing has been destroyed on the outside. Barely a week passed between him completing the spell and it being needed. Kyungsoo doesn’t believe in romantic notions like ‘fate’, but it does seem a bit like it was designed to be so. 

Kyungsoo helps Jongin to undress himself and get into his pyjamas, then they curl up together under the blankets. Jongin doesn’t fall asleep right away, so Kyungsoo talks to him about his family. Of things that have nothing to do with the war in any way. Even though his eyelids droop, he keeps whispering until Jongin eventually drifts off, clinging to Kyungsoo in his sleep.


	6. Epilogue

One Month Later

 

Kyungsoo unlocks the front door to his apartment, and kicks off his shoes.

“Googly bear, I’m ho-ome!” He calls out, sniggering to himself. 

“Screw you~!” Jongin calls back from the bedroom. Snorting, Kyungsoo makes his way through and crawls onto the bed, where Jongin is doing something on his laptop. On-screen is his sister, hiding her face with her hand to hide her laughter. Well that's a little embarrassing, but she already knew about their little pet name war, so it could be worse.

“Oh, hello.” Kyungsoo greets her, leaning into shot and waving.

“Nice seeing you, Kyungsoo.” She replies a few seconds later, waving back. “How are you doing?”

“Not too bad, my new assignment is pretty interesting.” He snuggles in closer, reading his head on Jongin's shoulder.

“What do you have to do?” She asks.

“I'm working on an agricultural spell that will only let water through and protect plants from, well, anything else. Bugs and other pests. That kind of thing.”

“That does sound interesting.” She hums, “so you're not focused on anything war related?”

“Not anymore, ever since the coup, I haven't really been needed for that. It's mostly negotiation support and supplies that they need.” A group of non-professional magic users in Hanju had banded together and protested the government's actions. It hadn't done much to start with, but after that, a vast quantity of the population had revolted, and Zhao Ying looks now to be struggling too much with issues within his own country to be worrying about the infidels to the south. Honestly, most people expected him to either be impeached, or for him to step down of his own accord.

“That's fair enough, you already basically saved the whole country.” She teases, causing Kyungsoo to hide in the hollow of Jongin's neck, whining. Jongin just laughs, rubbing his back.

“He's delicate, you shouldn't say things like that.” He scolds her.

“How did he survive having his picture on all the news channels?” She giggles, “you were practically a celebrity.”

“The answer is he didn't. You should have seen it; he left the room every time his face came up on screen, it was really funny. Luckily he wasn't on TV quite enough for him to get recognised. Well he was one time, actually.”

“Ugh.” Kyungsoo complains. That encounter had been awful; he'd been on the subway, by himself since Jongin had already started his new job by then, and the whole carriage had started staring at him. Someone had asked for a picture, too. Luckily it hasn't happened since.

“Poor thing.” Jongin teases, to his sister's mirth. Kyungsoo turns to him, one eyebrow raised, and Jongin backs down.

An orange cat pops up from the bottom of the screen. This one is the most troublesome of all of her cats. Kyungsoo has heard stories about this one. She picks him up and puts him on the floor behind her, where another two cats are curled up in a sunny patch. He doesn't stay there for longer than a second, and is already climbing across her sofa in the background to get back onto the desk.

“Sorry about that; he gets jealous when I talk to other people.” She jokes.

“That doesn't sound like a healthy relationship.” Jongin jokes, “maybe you should dump him.” She opens her mouth so as to make a comeback, but the cat interrupts her once again, his head blocking out her face. They share a look as they listen to her grumbling. The moment she tries to pick him up, he yowls indignantly, and he squirms in her arms.

"Look, sorry guys, I think I'm going to have to cut this short. Mr. drama queen over here isn't going to stop fussing until I feed him, and then I need to go pick up Rahee, anyway."

“That's ok, you do what you need to do. I’ll talk to you again soon, ok?” Jongin says, making a face. "That cat is so needy."

"Don't I know it. That's what I get for adopting a stray, I guess; all the others I have are much better behaved than _you_." she mumbles, her nose pressing up against the cat's even as it squirms away. She sighs loudly. "Alright, bye guys."

"Bye!" Jongin waves. "Tell Rahee I said hi."

"I will, she'll be so disappointed that she missed you. You too, Kyungsoo, she talks about you all the time. She keeps saying she wants to be a 'cool wizard like uncle Kyungsoo', it's adorable."

"Oh my goodness." Kyungsoo's smile is uncontrollable. He'd only met her one time, when they'd visited Yeong Si for the day, but to his and everyone else's surprise, the little girl had taken a shine to him. Aside from wanting to ride uncle Jongin's shoulders all day, she'd wanted to hold Kyungsoo's hand and hear all about magic. He'd tried to tell her in a way that didn't make it seem boring, but she had been very inquisitive, and pressed him for all the answers she could.

"I'll bring her up to see you guys again soon!" She promises. The cat struggles again, fighting out of her grip and landing on the floor. "Alright, I really have to go now- bye!"

"Bye!" Jongin and Kyungsoo chorus, waving until the screen turns black, and the app icon pops up. Their reflection is displayed in the monitor, Jongin looking fondly down at Kyungsoo. He smiles sweetly back, relaxing into his chest.

"How was work?" Kyungsoo asks, after a momentary silence. It took him about three weeks, but Jongin eventually found a decent paying job in a secretarial position. He's still looking for something better, though.

"It was alright, nothing to write home about." Jongin says, stretching his arms out above his head. Kyungsoo hums contemplatively. Maybe he should have stayed on as Kyungsoo's assistant for a little longer, to find something better. Or maybe Kyungsoo just wishes he was still in his office every day.

"How long have you been home?" Kyungsoo asks, unbuckling his belt so he can change into pyjamas. Jongin's eyes lock onto the motion, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "Answer the question?"

"Oh, uh- maybe an hour or so? I didn't check the time when I got in."

"That long?" Kyungsoo purses his lips.

"Yeah, well that's the normal time most people get home." Jongin puts his laptop aside and lays across the bed, inviting Kyungsoo to cuddle. "Why are you even doing overtime? This spell isn't crucial, is it?"

"No, but it could help a lot of people-"

"You know what else would help?" Jongin interrupts, having heard this spiel a hundred times before. He's looking at Kyungsoo like he knows what he's about to say might get him smacked.

"What." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, half expecting what will come out of his mouth next.

"You could kiss me?" Of course that's it. Even so, he's so cute when he does this, it's hard to resist.

"I thought your kisses were for helping others?"

"Oh, well, _yeah_. But I have to get energy from my boyfriend. Otherwise I'll die."

"Right." As much as Kyungsoo wants to keep a straight face, he just can't. He makes a show of how much Jongin is inconveniencing him by asking for a kiss, but it's no secret that he loves it as well. Kicking off his pants, he crawls across Jongin's lap, leaning over his prone body. Something inside of him always feels... _soft_ whenever he looks at Jongin and when he's  looking up at him like this, all eye-smiles and love, that feeling only intensifies. Jongin's hands run down Kyungsoo's back, cupping his ass as Kyungsoo dips down to give him his kiss. Jongin hums against his lips,

"Wait." Kyungsoo pauses, pulling away and leaving Jongin to stare up at him like he just took away his candy. "Before I forget; Chanyeol asked me if we'd like to go on a double date sometime. He said it like he wanted to have a double date that _wasn't_ a disaster, but I think he actually misses you. Jongdae too, actually. It's still weird not having you around in work, my office is so lonely."

"I'd love to go on a date with you. And Sehun and Chanyeol, I guess. Tell them I miss them too?"

"I'll let Chanyeol know tomorrow, then. We can make plans." His hands play at Kyungsoo's hip, but he doesn't seem to be trying to rile him up. It looks like Kyungsoo's completely derailed him.

"Speaking of Chanyeol, how is he doing?" Jongin asks, concerned all of a sudden.

"He's doing fine. Still thinking of working in Jongdae's department once he graduates which is honesty a miracle, all things considered. Jongdae is obviously over the moon, and won't shut up about it."

"Does he look ok now?" After being released from the hospital, the poor kid become very aware of all the stares, and not it the 'wow, you're the one who fought off a bunch of Hanjurian soldiers!' kind of way. It didn't take long for him to book a restoration magic appointment, to help reduce the scarring.

"Yeah, that second spell session really helped, you can barely see the scars now, unless you know what to look for."

"That's a relief. I bet Sehun is happier about that now, too."

"I don't think he minded as much as said he did." Kyungsoo muses. The only reason he would have cared is because looking at him reminded him of how it happened. Or because it made Chanyeol uncomfortable.

"How is Jongdae-"

"You can always come in and visit, if you want." Kyungsoo reminds him, smirking. "During your lunch break? You're not that far away."

"That's true." Jongin mulls it over, considering whether it might be worth potentially losing out on food or not.

"We're getting sidetracked." Kyungsoo reminds him, laying one hand on Jongin's stomach, smiling suggestively. The corner of Jongin's mouth ticks up, and he takes hold Kyungsoo's wrist, pushing his hand down lower.

"Oh yeah?” He says, his deep voice pooling hotly in Kyungsoo’s gut, “I guess we should fix that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to thank lozza and spidey for being my number 1 hypemen, and otter, without whom this fic would be entirely different. i worked really hard on this clumsy attempt of a longfic, so i hope you all enjoyed it, if you stuck around till the end thank you!  
> disclaimer: i have never been drunk or worked for a government so i apologise for the (probably many) inaccuracies


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